The No. 1 seeded women’s tennis player in the world Ash Barty defeated Victoria Azarenka in three sets to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2021 Miami Open on Monday in Miami Gardens, Fla. No. 2 seeded Naomi Osaka also advanced to the quarterfinals with a straight sets win over Elise Mertens,
Barty defeated Azarenka 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 in a match that lasted nearly two hours; She is the defending champion of the tournament, which was last played in 2019 after being canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Barty will face No. 7 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.
Osaka beat Mertens 6-3, 6-3; she had three aces, three double faults and converted five of 14 break points in the win. Osaka faces Jessica Pegula or Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals Wednesday in Miami Gardens.
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