Elina Svitolina delivered one of her best performances of the year after the No. 22 seed crushed Belinda Bencic 6-1 6-2 to reach the Miami Open third round.
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After the Ukrainian and the Swiss set up a second-round meeting in Miami, it was instantly expected to be one of the best matches of round two. But it was all but a tight battle as the 2023 Wimbledon semifinalist made it a one-sided affair and absolutely dominated their first meeting since 2019.
During the match, Svitolina impressively posted a perfect statline on her break points, going 5-of-5. Also, she saved all of Bencic's three break point chances.
Right out of the game, the former world No. 3 imposed her game and started with back-to-back breaks and a 4-0 lead before collecting her third break of the match in the seventh game and sealing the opener.
In the second set, Svitolina claimed breaks in the fourth and eighth games to complete her two-set win. It should be noted that Bencic had two break points in the third game of the second set and another in the seventh game but didn't convert.
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The Ukrainian, who also ended on the winning side in their 2019 WTA Finals meeting, now has a 3-2 head-to-head against the Swiss.
Svitolina plays next against Karolina Muchova
In the Miami third round, Svitolina will take on 15th-seeded Muchova, who bageled Victoria Azarenka in the first set of their match before the Belarusian retired.
Interestingly, Svitolina is again set to play against a rival that he hasn't faced since 2019. Six years ago, the Ukrainian beat the Czech in Dubai and also won their 2019 Wimbledon meeting in straight sets.
However, a lot has changed since their last meeting. While the No. 22 seed dismantled Bencic and definitely won't be lacking confidence, Muchova is now a much better player compared to the last time they met and it looks like a match that has the potential to turn into a showdown.
