Miami, March 24 (IANS) Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominant run at the Miami Open, booking a place in the quarterfinals with a straight-sets win over Zheng Qinwen.

Sabalenka took an hour and 25 minutes to seal a 6-3, 6-4 victory, maintaining her strong head-to-head record against Zheng. Although the Chinese star produced moments of brilliance, the Belarusian consistently absorbed the pressure and reasserted control at crucial junctures.

With the result, Sabalenka reached her 15th consecutive WTA quarterfinal, a milestone last achieved by Justine Henin between 2006 and 2008. It also marked her 32nd appearance in a WTA 1000 quarterfinal, placing her behind only Victoria Azarenka among active players.

She will next take on American Hailey Baptiste, who advanced to her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal with another composed performance. Baptiste followed up her upset of Elina Svitolina by defeating Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-4. The 22-year-old has been in commanding form all week, progressing through the draw without dropping a set.

Meanwhile, World No. 4 Coco Gauff reached her first Miami Open quarterfinal after overcoming Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in a fluctuating contest. The match was defined by frequent breaks of serve, particularly in the opening two sets where both players struggled to hold.

Gauff, however, found greater stability in the decider, holding serve throughout the third set to wrest control. Her effectiveness on return proved decisive, as she won significantly more points on her opponent’s serve. The American closed out the match strongly, winning eight of the final nine points on serve to secure victory and maintain her unbeaten record against Cirstea.

Gauff will now meet Belinda Bencic in the last eight after the Swiss player produced a clinical 6-2, 6-2 win over Amanda Anisimova. Bencic, seeded 12th, controlled the match from start to finish to reach her 12th WTA 1000 quarterfinal and her second in Miami, having made the semifinals in 2022. She now eyes consecutive wins over Top 10 opponents as she prepares for a high-stakes clash against Gauff.

–IANS

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