Osaka, Zverev stunned, Federer advances
Miami, March 24: Naomi Osaka crashed out of the third round of the WTA and ATP Miami Open on Saturday as Hsieh Su-Wei exacted revenge for a painful Australian Open defeat with a 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 victory.
World number one Osaka had looked in little danger after winning the first set and moving a break ahead in the second.
But Taiwan’s Hsieh, who was a set and 4-1 up in Melbourne earlier this year before losing to the Japanese star in the third round, battled superbly.
It wasn’t the only shocker of the day, as Spanish veteran David Ferrer rallied to beat world number three Alexander Zverev 26, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third round. Ferrer, 36 and ranked 155th in the world, received a wild card into the tournament as he continues a limited schedule in a 2019 billed as his farewell tour.
Zverev, runner-up to John Isner here last year, coughed up 12 double faults as he suffered his second straight early exit in succession after a thirdround departure at Indian Wells.
Osaka was coming off a fourth-round exit at Indian Wells, but Hsieh’s coach said her victory wasn’t all that surprising.
The 33-year-old Hsieh will play Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round of the women’s draw, which now looks wide open following Osaka’s defeat and former world number one Serena Williams’s surprise exit with a left knee injury.
Elsewhere, Roger Federer survived a scare but battled back from a set down to beat Radu Albot 46, 7-5, 6-3.
Albot posed plenty of problems for the 20-time Grand Slam winning legend, who took a while to get adjusted to the tournament’s new Hard Rock Stadium venue.
But the Swiss star’s class and experience eventually shone through, even though he was severely tested in his first ever meeting with the in-form Moldovan.
“I’ve never really seen him play live matches so I watched some video to get an idea about him,” Federer said.
Federer next faces 103rdranked Serbian Filip Krajinovic, who beat three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka 75, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5).