Daria Kasatkina should have skipped the first round in Miami, but she didn’t get into her rhythm initially.
Elise Mertens forced two breaks and ran 3-0, but the Russian struck and made it 3-4. In the end, she took the first set 4-6.
But Kasatkina was clearly not feeling well. In the second and third set she immediately surrendered her service, Mertens was a lot more efficient.
In each set she added another break: with two times 6-2 she is in the third round.
“It was a very difficult game. She is a player who returns a lot of balls, I knew that before I came on the field,” said Mertens.
“I was in the game well and took the lead in the first set, but still gave it away. I wanted to play a little too aggressively, too direct and that made me make too many mistakes.”
“In the second and third set I was a bit more patient and built up my points better. And my tennis came out better.
Mertens defeated a player from the top 10 for the first time since she kneed Simona Halep in Madrid in May 2021.
“It is certainly a very nice victory. It has been a long time since I beat a player who is ranked much higher than me,” said the Belgian number 1.
“It’s a nice win that can give me confidence, but also help me mentally.”
