(Miami) Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin in straight sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the Miami Tennis Open on Monday, in his first match of the competition after a bye in the first round and the withdrawal of the player he was to face in the second round.
The second-seeded Tsitsipas served 12 aces en route to his first win since defeating Emil Ruusuvuori in the opening round of the Rotterdam tournament in mid-February.
He improved his lifetime record to 3-0 against Garin, who was trying to become the first Chilean player to reach the fourth round in Miami since Fernando Gonzalez in 2010.
After losing the first set, Garin won eight straight points late in the second to force a deciding final set. Tsitsipas converted a broken 4-4 in the final set and won.
PHOTO GEOFF BURKE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Christian Garin
Tsitsipas, who withdrew from the Acapulco tournament with a shoulder injury and was eliminated in the opening round at Indian Wells, overcame 21 unforced errors in his first game of the tournament.
In Tuesday’s round of 16, Tsitsipas will face Karen Khachanov, who beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-4 on Monday.
Also on Monday, Frenchman Quentin Halys eliminated American Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (2), 6-3.
On the women’s side, American Jessica Pegula, seeded No. 3, beat Poland’s Magda Linette 6-1, 7-5. She will face Anastasia Potapova, 27e seeded in the quarter-finals after beating Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 7-6 (4).
In matches of the fourth round, Elena Rybakina, 10e seeded, served 10 aces and defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-3.
In the quarter-finals, Rybakina will face Italian Martina Trevisan, who eliminated Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-3.
Elsewhere, Petra Kvitova defeated Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 7-6 (5) and Sorana Cirstea defeated Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka is due to face Czech Barbora Krejcikova on Monday evening.