Angelique Kerber has also proved her good form in a duel with a fearful opponent and reached the round of 16 in Miami for the fourth time. The tenth seeded Kieler defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (No. 23) 6-4, 6-4. The previous three games against the Russian player Kerber lost last year. She is the only remaining German player in the field at the $7.97 million hard court event.
After 1:38 hours Kerber profited from a mistake of her opponent at her first match point. In the match for the quarter-finals, the left-hander will face Chinese qualifier Yafan Wang on Monday, who is ranked 125th in the world rankings. Kerber had also been in the last eight in Florida in 2017, but lost to Venus Williams (USA). Two years ago, “Angie” celebrated her best result so far in Key Biscayne with her participation in the semi-finals.
Kerber took the serve off Pavlyuchenkova in the opening game, but missed a few chances in the end. But the 30-year-old could initially rely on her service. In the first set, Kerber lost only two points in her own service, was the dominant player, safely transporting the break and immediately transformed her first set ball.
The two-time major winner then left the initiative to Pavlyuchenkova, who as always takes risks, and was 2-0 behind after the first loss of serve. Significant point wins now alternated with simple mistakes. Both players had trouble bringing consistency into their game. Kerber was the first to recover and took the ominous seventh game to lead 4-3. Pavlyuchenkova struck back by return of mail. But after another break Kerber managed her service to win the match.
After the tournament in Sunshine State, Kerber will play the Czech Republic (21st/22nd place) in the Fed Cup. April) and prepare herself more intensively than ever before for the clay court season, in which she has relatively little to defend. In 2017 she failed at the French Open as well as in Stuttgart and Rome at the opening hurdle and lost in Madrid in the round of 16. In recent years, Kerber had still competed in Charleston or Monterrey after the Premier Mandatory tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
However, exhausting months lie behind the Kieler. No other player has won as many times this season as the Sydney winner – 24 (with only four defeats).
And Kerber’s prospects in Miami are rosy. After only 17 of 32 seeded had reached the third round, industry leader Simona Halep, who was in Kerbers half, also retired on Saturday. The Romanian lost 6:3, 2:6, 3:6 against the Polish Agnieszka Radwanska (No. 30).
The former number one Victoria Asarenka, however, who after the birth of her son Leos and a custody dispute is only 186th in the ranking, successfully continued her comeback tour. The two-time Australian Open winner won 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 against Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia/No. 20) and now faces Radwanska, the Miami winner of 2012 in the round of 16.