Miami Open Masters 2016 Results: Thursday Scores, Bracket and Schedule
The 2016 Miami Open is nearing its end as Thursday brought both the men's and the women's sides a little bit closer to their respective finals.
It was semifinal Thursday for the women as Svetlana Kuznetsova—the woman who trounced No. 1 Serena Williams in the round of 16—met Timea Bacsinszky, while Victoria Azarenka capped off the night against No. 2 Angelique Kerber.
The men's portion of the tournament finished up its quarterfinals when Kei Nishikori took on Gael Monfils and Milos Raonic played the fiery Australian Nick Kyrgios.
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Here are the updated results of the day's matches and the final brackets:
| Women's Semifinal | Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Timea Bacsinszky | 7-5, 6-3 |
| Men's Quarterfinal | Kei Nishikori def. Gael Monfils | 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) |
| Men's Quarterfinal | Nick Kyrgios def. Milos Raonic | 6-4, 7-6(4) |
| Women's Semifinal | Victoria Azarenka vs. Angelique Kerber | 6-2, 7-5 |
| Svetlana Kuznetsova | Victoria Azarenka | |||
| vs. | Svetlana Kuznetsova | Victoria Azarenka | vs. | |
| Timea Bacsinszky | Angelique Kerber |
| Novak Djokovic | Kei Nishikori | |||
| def. | Novak Djokovic | Kei Nishikori | vs. | |
| Tomas Berdych | Gael Monfils | |||
| vs. | vs. | |||
| David Goffin | Milos Raonic | |||
| def. | David Goffin | Nick Kyrgios | vs. | |
| Gilles Simon | Nick Kyrgios |
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Timea Bacsinszky
Bacsinszky had already made some history despite the result as she was the first Swiss woman to make the Miami Open semifinals since Martina Hingis in 2001.
The favored Kuznetsova was keen on testing her strong backhand quickly, constantly bombing shots to the Swiss' left-hand side. Bacsinszky was up to the challenge, though, hitting three outright winners in the first two games.
With that kind of confidence, she made it clear early on that when given the choice, she would go to the backhand.
Kuznetsova, though, continued to test Bacsinszky's backhand and was continuously burned by it, along with a number of unforced errors.
The WTA showed just how lethal Bacsinszky's backhand was at times:
Every time Kuznetsova would win a game, Bacsinszky would come right back with a win of her own. The 30-year-old's inability to put away Bacsinszky extended the match, which was a dangerous thing to do in humid 85-degree weather.
It looked like it got to Kuznetsova, who looked tired after the seventh game despite pulling out a 7-5 first-set win, via the WTA:
While Bacsinszky went inside to change her attire in between sets, the ESPN telecast showed Kuznetsova complaining about her legs and her vision to her coach.
The two continued to battle through the second set, but Kuznetsova had a much easier time than in the first set, closing out the match with a 6-3 win. It was a monster backhand from Kuznetsova that punched her ticket to the final, a fitting end for having to deal with Bacsinszky's big backhand all match.
She will face Victoria Azarenka in the finals. If Kuznetsova manages to take home the Miami title, she'll break into the WTA's top 10 for the first time since 2010.
But given the way she struggled so mightily under the conditions, if Miami provides another hot, humid day in the championship round, she could be in big trouble regardless of who she plays.
Post-Match Reaction
It might have been a difficult hill to climb due to the tough conditions, but Kuznetsova was pleased that she's back in the Miami Open final for the first time since winning it all in 2006, as she told the Associated Press, via Tennis.com.
"'I'm happy I could hang in there,'' Kuznetsova said. ''I haven't been feeling my best, but I've been fighting with every ball and trying to run as much as I could."
With those feelings, she wanted to get things done quick, via the AP.
"'I was playing to finish it in two sets so I have a little bit of time to rest," Kuznetsova said.
Kuznetsova will have almost two days to rest up and get ready for the final, but it might be best to keep an eye on the weather and plan accordingly. Per Weather.com, the forecast for Saturday looks similar to Thursday's as it will be a high of 87 degrees with 69-percent humidity.
Kei Nishikori def. Gael Monfils
This was familiar territory for Nishikori, who was competing in his third straight Miami Open quarterfinal on Thursday.
The problem was, he ran into sheer power in the form of the Frenchman Gael Monfils to make his attempt at the semifinals very difficult.
Monfils was able to get off to a great start and take the first set thanks to his ability to rattle Nishikori's service play.
It was almost as though Monfils knew what was coming and used powerful returns to take the first set 6-4. Unable to get into an early groove, Nishikori's struggles were epitomized by a 79 mph second service that Monfils answered with a blazing 109 mph return.
Nishikori was able to rally and take advantage of a dip in Monfils' energy, which could have been due to the temperature and humidity. A native of Florida, Nishikori was able to extend points and make Monfils work, which helped him take the second set 6-3.
He rode the momentum into the decisive third set and jumped out to a 4-2 lead, via Tennis TV:
But Monfils wasn't done, as he stormed back to tie the third set at four games apiece. While the 30-year-old has dialed his emotions down a bit since his younger days, it was apparent that momentum and adrenaline were clearly in his favor.
With shots like these, via Tennis TV, it was easy to see why:
Nishikori went from dictating the match to scrambling for answers, as Monfils won the next game to go up 5-4 and was up 40-0 with a chance at match point. But Nishikori came back from nothing, forced a deuce and saved four match points to tie things at five all.
Monfils looked visibly gassed but dug deep to take the following set, only for Nishikori tie it back up at six apiece and take the tie breaker.
There was resiliency from both sides, as Monfils had to battle just to get to his multiple attempts at match point, while Nishikori had to battle back again and again to pick up the win.
He'll meet Kyrgios in the semifinals.
Post-Match Reaction
The marathon match that lasted well over two hours certainly took a toll on Monfils and Nishikori. But for the winner, there will be a quick turnaround as he'll have to prepare for the semifinals.
He spoke with the Associated Press, via Tennis.com, about the trying match.
"I thought I almost gave up the match,'' Nishikori said. ''It was tough conditions. Especially the last couple of games, I don't know what I was thinking.''
While it was physically trying, this win could do wonders for Nishikori as the tournament progresses. Having had past success at Miami, winning a long, difficult match like this could give him tons of confidence.
That's something, along with his skills, that will be difficult to beat in the semifinals.
Nick Kyrgios def. Milos Raonic
Kyrgios didn't let his underdog status affect him much Thursday night.
The Australian was able to deal with Raonic's big serve on his way to a 6-4 first-set win. He was also pulling out some highlight-reel shots, like this drop shot as shown by Tennis TV:
The fiery Kyrgios provided a stark contrast to Raonic's mild-mannered style on the court, and he didn't back down from a jam, either. Kyrgios saved four break points in the first set alone.
In an attempt to turn things around, Raonic upped his aggressiveness in the second set as he increased his rushes at the net.
It worked, as he took a 4-3 lead in the second set, but Kyrgios' forehand kept the Canadian constantly moving, and fatigue began to set in as Raonic's survival came down to a second-set tiebreak.
Kyrgios made everyone watching aware he could serve big as well when he unleashed a 136 mph bullet to take a 2-1 lead in the tiebreak. It sparked the tiebreak win as he'll meet Nishikori in the semifinals.
Post-Match Reaction
Despite the straight-set victory, Kyrgios said the win did not come easy, per the Associated Press (via Toronto's Globe and Mail).
“I knew it would be a tough match. Milos has played great the last couple of weeks and the only person he’s lost to is [World No. 1 Novak] Djokovic so I knew it would be a tough task,” Kyrgios said.
Kyrgios will now take on Nishikori in the semifinals opposite Djokovic and David Goffin.
An early service break helped calm Kyrgios, per the Associated Press.
“To be honest I didn’t think I was going to break during the match,” Kyrgios said. “I came out really energetic and got pretty lucky. That definitely made me more relaxed.”
Victoria Azarenka def. Angelique Kerber
Azarenka earned a straight-set victory over Kerber and a match with Kuznetsova in the finals, but she had to work for it.
After cruising in the first set, 6-2, Azarenka was poised to earn a 6-4 victory, but Kerber broke her to tie the match at 5-5, per WTA Insider:
The two fought hard with long rallies and beautiful winners, but it was Azarenka finally outlasting Kerber when the German hit her return long. After defeating Kerber for the seventh time in eight career matches, Azarenka let out a loud scream when the match ended, via the WTA:
Matt Cronin of TennisReporters.net enjoyed the back-and-forth finish:
Kerber actually came into the match seeded much higher at No. 2 compared to Azarenka's 13. Even though Kerber did push toward the end, Azarenka dominated the stats.
The Belarus native won 64 percent of her first serve points compared to just 44 percent for Kerber. Azarenka also won 52 percent of her first return points while Kerber took just 36 percent, helping her win an 11th match in a row. Breaking serve seven times, earning 29 winners and committing just 16 unforced errors didn't hurt Azarenka either.
Howard Bryant of ESPN the Magazine was impressed with the victory:
She will put her win streak on the line versus Kuznetsova, who is ranked 19th in the world, and back in the finals for the first time since winning the event 10 years ago.
Post-match Reaction
Azarenka, who is trying to win the tournament for the third time, praised her opponent following the victory, per the Associated Press (via Tennis.com).
''I stayed very strong in the end,'' Azarenka said. ''She's such an amazing player. She got to so many balls; sometimes I just had to watch them. But I'm glad I kept pushing.''
The finals matchup is the ninth between the two players, who have split the previous eight head-to-head matches. However, Azarenka has won the past three, including a 7-5, 6-1 victory in the 2013 Australian Open.
She said the finals matchup will be "fun," via the WTA:
It should be a good match between two players who have won three Miami Open titles between them. Look for a battle that will most likely go three sets and give the fans exactly what they want.
Match stats via WTAtennis.com and Tennis.com.
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