Former American player and commentator Brad Gilbert recently expressed his surprise at several marquee Miami Open matches unfolding in one-sided fashion on Thursday, March 26. The matches featured Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Aryna Sabalenka.
Brad Gilbert Weighs In on Lopsided Miami Open Results Featuring Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner
The evening slate featured Sabalenka taking on Elena Rybakina in the women’s semifinal, while Zverev faced Francisco Cerúndolo in a quarterfinal clash. Earlier in the day, Sinner went up against Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals, and Gauff met KarolÃna Muchová in the afternoon semifinal.
Sinner had cruised through his earlier rounds in straight sets, and the trend continued in the quarterfinals as he eased past Tiafoe with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory. The win also extended his dominant head-to-head lead over the American to 5-1.
Meanwhile, another marquee afternoon clash saw Gauff deliver a commanding performance against Muchová. The American remained firmly in control throughout, sealing a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory to move one step closer to her first title of the season. With the win, she also extended her head-to-head advantage over the Czech to 6-0.
While the afternoon contests proved one-sided, the night matches weren’t any different. One of the most anticipated clashes featured Sabalenka against Rybakina in their 17th tour-level meeting. The pair have frequently crossed paths in the latter stages of tournaments, shaping a compelling rivalry, and Rybakina’s recent resurgence also heightened the expectations.
However, the contest did not live up to its billing. Sabalenka remained firmly in control and dispatched Rybakina 6-4, 6-3, extending her head-to-head advantage to 10-7.
Meanwhile, the men’s quarterfinal between Zverev and Cerúndolo also fell short of expectations, despite the pair entering with a finely balanced 3-3 head-to-head record. The world No. 4 asserted his authority from the outset and secured a 6-1, 6-2 victory to seal his place in the semifinals.
It is worth noting that, given the closely contested head-to-head records and relatively cooler, more favorable playing conditions, Gilbert expected the night matches to be tightly fought. However, those expectations were dashed, prompting him to share his thoughts on X.
“wow just seeing live scores blowout thursday on center court thought night matches might be be closer especially because of H2H, but definitely not the case tonight,” he wrote.
When a fan responded, noting that Sinner’s performance was no surprise, Gilbert agreed. He added that such one-sided encounters were more typical of the day session given Gauff’s and Sinner’s history against their opponents. He, however, did not predict Zverev’s and Sabalenka’s dominance against their rivals.
“definitely not. kinda expected in day matches based on H2H not the evening matches,” he said.
With their respective wins, Zverev and Sinner are set to face off in the semifinals of the Miami Open, while Sabalenka will take on Gauff in the women’s final. According to PFSN’s interactive simulator, the Italian holds a 78% chance of reaching the final, while Sabalenka is heavily favored at 75% to complete the Sunshine Double.
