Aryna Sabalenka says she was shocked by Miami Open tournament organisers downgrading her to the third-largest stage for her encounter with Ann Li. Due to rainfall in Florida, the start to the competition was plagued with disruption and forced the schedule to be significantly altered.
However, the women’s world number one questioned why she had to face moving from the Hard Rock Stadium to the Butch Buchholz court with Carlos Alcaraz’s showdown with Joao Fonseca starting later. But the 27-year-old shrugged off the issue to beat the American in straight sets, setting up a third-round match with Caty McNally, which is scheduled to be played at the Stadium after the men’s number one eyes third-round progression.
Sabalenka said: “Well, I was actually shocked that they were considering cancelling my match, or they were giving me couple options of the stadiums. And I was like, ‘But, what’s the problem for [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Joao] Fonseca [to] start later’. Because yesterday, the night session started at nine, and then Mirra [Andreeva] was playing.
“So I was actually really shocked [by] the idea of even cancelling my match. But I just decided to play today, just so that, if I win, I have a day off. And I have time to prepare, to recharge and everything.
“But yeah, I was actually shocked, to be honest. But I’m happy that they gave me options so I could choose what’s the best for me.”
Should Sabalenka progress in her round of 32 match against the American, McNally, she will face the winner of Qinwen Zheng and 15th seed Madison Keys. There is potential for a rematch of the Australian Open final with Elena Rybakina pushing for WTA 1000 success when she takes on Marta Kostyuk.
Four last-16 matches have already been rubber-stamped, with Sorana Cîrstea taking on Coco Gauff. The American overcame Alycia Parks in three sets, while Amanda Anisimova takes on Belinda Bencic in the other round of 16 tie.
Elsewhere, Karolina Muchova booked her place against Alex Eala after the Czech star overcame Great Britain’s Katie Boulter in a 6-3, 7-5 win. Mirra Andreeva also takes on 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Moboko, who overcame Anastasia Zakharova 6-1, 7-5 in her second win at the 2026 Miami Open.
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