World No.7 Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to defeat former No.2 Paula Badosa 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the third round of the WTA section of the Miami Open.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The victory extended Rybakina's current win streak to 10 matches and kept the Indian Wells champion's hopes alive of sweeping a double in Florida.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rybakina will face Elise Mertens in the Round of 16 on Monday. Mertens booked a spot in her first fourth round at a WTA 1000 this season by defeating 29th seed Petra Martic 6-4, 6-3 in a match that ended well after 1:00 a.m.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Coming off her triumph in the California desert a week ago, Rybakina has had to go the distance in her first two matches in Miami. In her opening match, Rybakina defeated Anna Kalinskaya 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But facing Badosa for the seventh time in her career was a different challenge. While the Spaniard may be struggling to start her 2023 campaign, having dropped down to No.29 in the rankings, Badosa came into the match with a 4-2 lead in their head-to-head. Badosa also found herself in a moment of transition, having recently split with coach Jorge Garcia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Coming off her triumph in the California desert a week ago, Rybakina has had to go the distance in her first two matches in Miami. In her opening match, Rybakina defeated Anna Kalinskaya 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.<\/p>\r\n\r\n