Andreescu claws back to survive opening round in Miami
It was ugly and it mattered. Struggling after losing the first set, Canadian Bianca Andreescu fought back to beat Dutch Suzan Lemens (4-6, 6-1, 7-5) on Monday in the Miami qualifying opener. Now down to world No. 146, the Ontarian used experience and timing — three key breaks and five aces helped swing it. Next up: a big second-round clash with American Katie Volynets.
Stakusic blows her chances
Marina Stakusic’s trip ends here. The 21-year-old Canadian ran into German Ella Seidel (6-4, 7-5) and simply didn’t finish. She converted just 2 of 16 break points. That kind of waste won’t fly against a seeded opponent who took 4 of 7.
Draxl takes down Garin
On the men’s side, Liam Draxl produced a statement. Facing Chile’s Cristian Garin, the No.5 seed in qualifying, the 24-year-old from Ontario dropped the first set then imposed himself to close it in 2h29 (4-6, 6-4, 6-2). He dominated on first serve — won 72% of those points to Garin’s 57% — and cashed in on 48 unforced errors from his opponent. Clinical, composed, saved 5 of 7 break points when it mattered.
Next stop: the main draw
Simple mission now for Andreescu and Draxl: clear the final qualifying hurdle and join Canada’s contingent in the main draw. The big names are already waiting: Felix Auger-Aliassime, Gabriel Diallo and Denis Shapovalov on the men’s side, with Victoria Mboko and Leylah Annie Fernandez among the women.
Check out the rest of the sports news on our site!
Leave a Reply