MIAMI, FL – Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominant run in Miami, defeating China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-4 in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 tournament on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. The loss marks Zheng’s seventh consecutive defeat against the world No. 2 and ends her bid for a quarterfinal appearance at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Sabalenka, the top seed, will now face Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarterfinals after the Brazilian defeated 25th-seeded Anhelina Kalinina 6-3, 6-4. The Belarusian is aiming for her fourth Miami Open title and continues a remarkable run of form, having reached at least the quarterfinals in her last 15 tournaments.
For Zheng, the defeat is a disappointing end to a promising run in Miami. Despite a valiant effort, she was unable to overcome Sabalenka’s power and consistency. This loss brings Zheng’s head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 1 win and 8 losses, with seven of those losses coming on hard courts.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, third seed Elena Rybakina advanced to the quarterfinals with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory over Australian wildcard Daria Saville. Rybakina will face fifth-seeded Coco Gauff, who overcame Romania’s Irina Begu 6-3, 6-2 in her third-round match.
Twelfth-seeded Karolina Muchova also secured her place in the quarterfinals, defeating sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2. Muchova will face Gauff in a highly anticipated matchup. Canadian Leylah Fernandez continued her impressive form, defeating eighth-seeded Marketa Vondrousova 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-0 and will face Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova in the quarterfinals, who defeated Eala of the Philippines 6-0, 6-2.
The men’s draw also saw its share of upsets on Tuesday. Last year’s champion, Jiri Lehecka, was defeated by American Frances Tiafoe in a three-set thriller, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(11), ending his title defense. Former finalist Daniil Medvedev was also upset by Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis in three sets, 0-6, 6-4, 5-7. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev were earlier eliminated in previous rounds.
Second seed Jannik Sinner advanced to the round of 16 with a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win over France’s Quentin Halys. Third seed Alexander Zverev also progressed, defeating Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime was eliminated by France’s Harold Mayot in three sets.
Sinner and Sabalenka, both winners last week in Indian Wells, are now aiming to complete the “Sunshine Double” by winning both the Indian Wells and Miami Open titles in the same year. The quarterfinals continue on Wednesday with several intriguing matchups on the schedule.
The Miami Open continues with quarterfinal action on Wednesday, March 25th. Fans can follow live updates and scores on the official WTA Tour website and through various sports news outlets.
