Andrey Rublev ousted as rain suspends play at Miami Open; Aryna Sabalenka off to winning start

Czech player Tomas Machac delivered a surprising defeat to Russia’s fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev in straight sets, securing his advancement to the third round of the Miami Open on Friday, March 22. Machac, who is currently ranked 60th in the world, achieved a 6-4 6-4 victory just before a significant rain delay, which had already postponed the commencement of the tournament by over six hours, brought play to a standstill.

In other matches, France’s 14th seed Ugo Humbert earned his place in the following round by overcoming Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands with scores of 6-4 6-3.

On the same day, Aryna Sabalenka, the world number two, returned to the court, winning against Paula Badosa 6-4 6-3, and moving into the third round of the Miami Open. This match came shortly after the tragic news of the death by apparent suicide of her former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov. Despite a challenging week and a significant rain delay that pushed back the start of the games, the 25-year-old Belarusian, who skipped the first round, appeared to find solace in playing again, swiftly managing to defeat the Spanish player even as the weather threatened to interrupt the match once more.

Additionally, the third-seeded American, Coco Gauff, effortlessly advanced to the third round following a commanding 6-1 6-2 victory over Nadia Podoroska, an Argentine qualifier.