Gauff, Osaka & Sinner Advance | Tennis Results & News

Coco Gauff overcame a slow start to defeat Alycia Parks 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 in the third round of the Miami Open on Saturday, continuing her pursuit of a first quarterfinal appearance at the WTA 1000 event. The match, held at Hard Rock Stadium, saw Gauff rally after dropping the first set, ultimately dominating the final two sets.

Parks, 25, initially seized control, winning six consecutive games to accept the first set 6-2. However, Gauff, 22, responded emphatically, winning 12 of the next 13 games. Despite facing break points throughout the match, Gauff demonstrated resilience and adjusted her strategy to secure the comeback victory in a total of one hour and 50 minutes.

“It was really difficult,” Gauff said after the match. “She was playing really well and she’s one of those people who’s hit or miss sometimes. So, you’re stuck in the fine line of being aggressive but also maybe just making her play. And I think I got too stuck on the other end of it. And then the second and third, I just tried to be aggressive when I could. I made some adjustments on the return and I think that made a difference.”

Gauff emphasized the importance of holding serve in her turnaround. “I think for me it was honestly just staying on my serve,” she stated. “I felt like obviously I was able to get a bunch of breaks later on. But for me the start of the first, that long game, I mean, second, that long game was important. And I needed to pull my serve.”

In other women’s matches, Amanda Anisimova defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-2, and Victoria Mboko secured a 6-1, 7-5 win over Anastasia Zakharova. However, former world number one Naomi Osaka faced a setback in her return to the tour, losing 7-5, 6-4 to Australia’s Talia Gibson in the second round.

Osaka, who resumed her WTA Tour career in January 2024 following a 15-month absence due to the birth of her daughter in July 2023, expressed the challenges of balancing her tennis ambitions with motherhood. “I feel like this also is a dilemma for me,” Osaka said. “For me, my daughter is very important, and I desire to be a mom. I want to be the best mom I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to do to become a really good player, and it’s very difficult.”

She further explained her internal conflict, stating, “Because for me, I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.”

On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner, the world number two, advanced with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur. Alexander Zverev also progressed, defeating wildcard Martin Damm 6-2, 6-4. Zverev will next face Marin Cilic, who overcame Brandon Nakashima 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7).

A notable upset occurred with Ben Shelton, the home favorite, falling to Alexander Shevchenko 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Gauff will now face Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round of the Miami Open.