Swiss 12th seed Belinda Bencic handed American World No. 4 Amanda Anisimova her second chastening defeat in as many weeks, earning a place in the Miami Open quarter-finals with a 6–2, 6–2 victory.
Bencic was in determined form throughout, breaking in the third game of the opening set and never relinquishing her lead.
The Swiss, who landed 87% of her first serves and won 72% of those points, broke three more times to wrap up the match in just under 80 minutes.
For Anisimova, it marks a second one-sided exit during the Sunshine Double, and much like her defeat to Victoria Mboko at Indian Wells, she was unable to make any inroads with her backhand and again managed to create just a single break point.
The victory for Bencic sets up an intriguing quarter-final with Florida resident Coco Gauff, who has reached the last eight in Miami for the first time.
The Swiss, who trails Gauff 4–2 in their WTA head-to-head, spoke of her excitement ahead of the clash with the local favourite.
“I’m very excited. I’m definitely up for the challenge,” Bencic stated, as reported by the WTA official website.
“I’m really excited to challenge her again, and to try to see what I can improve and do better. We’ll see tomorrow, it’s going to be a good match and a good atmosphere.”
“I really like the conditions here. I was practicing here when I was a teenager, and I just really like playing here. I love the city as well, it’s a good energy and I feel really comfortable,” added Bencic.”
Gauff had a much trickier path into the quarter-finals, as she ousted a stubborn Sorana Cîrstea 6–3, 4–6, 6–2 in a see-saw match lasting just over two hours.
Speaking in her post-match press conference, Gauff said her mentality is stronger than in previous years, with the victory making her the youngest player to reach the last eight at all existing WTA 1000 events since the format was introduced in 2009.
“I guess it wouldn’t have to happen any other way than to put some work in,” admitted Gauff.
“I think in the previous times I’ve played here, I’ve had some tough matches. Maybe mentally wasn’t in there. Today I just wanted to stay mentally in there.”
