Naomi Osaka into Miami Open quarters; Daniil Medvedev closer to returning to No 1 | Tennis News
Naomi Osaka will face Danielle Collins next at the Miami Open; Daniil Medvedev will move back up to world No1 if he makes the semi-finals of the tournament; he moved into the fourth round with a win over Pedro Martinez
Last Updated: 28/03/22 10:52pm
Naomi Osaka progressed into the quarter-finals in straight sets
Naomi Osaka advanced into the quarter-finals of the Miami Open after deafening Alison Riske, while Daniil Medvedev took another step towards a return to the top of the world rankings.
Osaka, who was playing Riske for the first time since 2019, spent 92 minutes on court to complete her 6-3 6-4 victory.
The four-time Grand Slam winner will now face Riske’s fellow American Danielle Collins next, after Collins beat Ons Jabeur 6-2 6-4
“It’s really funny for me because last year I made it to the quarters too, but it was after I won Australia and I wasn’t that grateful, I kind of expected to win,” Osaka said.
“I’m in the same position this year and this is really like one of the most fun times in my life, so I’m really grateful. I want to say, ‘Thank you everyone for coming out’.”
Daniil Medvedev dropped only four points on serve in the first set
Medvedev took another step towards a return to the top of the world rankings as he saw off Pedro Martinez in straight sets to reach the fourth round in Miami.
The Russian, who will move back up to world No 1 if he makes the semi-finals of the tournament, overcame Spaniard Martinez 6-3 6-4 in an hour and 24 minutes.
Medvedev dropped only four points on serve in the first set, he then secured it via an eighth-game break.
Martinez immediately responded to being broken in the second set by replying in kind to make it 2-2. Medvedev broke again in the seventh and saw out the win by producing eight points in a row on serve.
“I think, in general, I didn’t play so badly,” Medvedev told Amazon Prime.
“Really slow courts here so playing against a Spanish [opponent] is not easy. I felt like we had a lot of rallies where he was bringing the pace down and I couldn’t really do much.
“So I tried to serve well, to keep consistent, and I managed to do less errors in important points, and I think that was the key today.”
Medvedev’s opponent in the next round is American Jenson Brooksby, who beat 15th seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3 5-7 6-4.
Defending champion Hubert Hurkacz made it through with a 7-5 4-6 6-3 victory over Aslan Karatsev.
