Gauff falls early in Miami, Cerúndolo and Garín advance

Coco Gauff returns to Anastasia Potapova during the Miami Open, Saturday, March 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Coco Gauff blew a chance to seal the match in the second set and ended up giving up the last few games by losing 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-on Saturday. 2 against Anastasia Potapova in the third round of the Miami Open.

Gauff, the sixth seed and a neighbor in Florida, enjoyed feeling at home at Hard Rock Stadium. She turned around a 5-2 deficit in the first set and then saved a pair of set points in the tiebreaker. The 19-year-old American took the sleeve on her second chance with a cross return.

The French Open runner-up last year looked set to win, going ahead 5-3 in the second set and serving for the win. But Gauff slacked off and Potapova became more aggressive in rallies from the baseline, taking four straight games on an afternoon when temperatures approached 30 degrees Celsius (86 F).

Gauff took a 2-1 lead in the deciding set, but was unable to win another game. He finished with 34 unforced errors and 20 winners, suffering six breaks of serve.

A year after his surprise march to the semifinals, Francisco Cerúndolo of Argentina began the defense of an important amount of points with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the American Aleksandar Kovacevic. Cerúndulo registered a 72% effectiveness with the first serve.

“I played a very solid game, one of the best of the year,” said Cerúndolo, the 25th seed. “I felt very comfortable, I love this place and I hope it can continue like this.”

Cerúndolo’s current rival will be the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. The fifth seed defeated Brazilian Thiago Monteiro 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8).

For his part, Chilean Cristian Garín moved into the third round after defeating Argentine Sebastián Báez (27th seed) 7-6 (2), 6-3. Garín, who bypassed the preliminary phase to enter the main draw, will have the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas as his next opponent.

After losing early in Indian Wells, the second-seeded Tsitsipas advanced to the third round in Miami after Richard Gasquet missed with an ankle injury.

In other results, Daniil Medvedev (4th seed) overwhelmed Spanish Roberto Carballés Baena 6-1, 6-2 and Karen Khachanov (14th) defeated Argentine Tomás Martín Etcheverry 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

Three seeds said goodbye on Saturday: the Czech Jiri Lehecka eliminated the Italian Lorenzo Musetti (18) 6-4, 6-4; American Mackenzie McDonald defeated Italian Matteo Berrettini (19) 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5); and the American Christopher Eubanks scored his first victory against an opponent within the top 50 in the world by beating Croatian Borna Coric (20th in the ranking) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

In the women’s draw, the Polish Magda Linette (20) beat Victoria Azarenka (14), three times champion of the tournament, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-4; and the American Jessica Pegula (3) defeated her compatriot Danielle Collins 6-1, 7-6 (0).

Felix Auger Aliassime returns against Thiago Monteiro at the Miami Open, Saturday, March 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)