Miami: World number one Angelique Kerber came back from being a break down in both sets to beat American Shelby Rogers 6-4, 7-5 yesterday and move into the fourth round at the Miami Open.
With no sign of the rain that interrupted the past two days on Key Biscayne, Kerber was joined in the next round by Britain’s Johanna Konta and Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova who both had comfortable wins.
Although ranked 61st in the world Rogers has beaten Karolina Pliskova, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep and Daria Kasatkina in the last year and had her eye on beating the top seed.
An upset looked possible when the American won the first three games of the opening set but Kerber recovered to win six of the next seven games.
Story
It was a similar story in the second set where Rogers, having saved a break point, hit some good winners to go 4-2 up only for the German to power back and secure a fourth round meeting with Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki who beat German Julia Georges 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
Seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, beaten finalist in Indian Wells, beat American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-2.
In the men’s division, Japan’s Kei Nishikori beat Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (5/7) 6-1, his three sets win taking him into the last 16.
Last year’s beaten finalist, Nishikori will face Argentine Federico Delbonis who beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (7/5), 6-1. France’s Nicolas Mahut beat Argentine Guido Pella 6-4 6-3.
Injury-plagued world number five Milos Raonic pulled out of the tournament shortly before his match against American Jared Donaldson, citing a recurrence of a hamstring injury.