By Justin Ross

Today, the Miami Open kicked off women’s round of 16 action. Headlining the play were wins by Angelique Kerber and Karolina Pliskova. Just 12 of the top 32 seeds reached this round.

The day started with two wins by players from the Czech Republic. First, it was No. 3 Pliskova who beat fellow Czech native Barbora Strycova, 6-1, 6-4. Pliskova now has 22 wins, which is the most of any player on tour this season.

Then, in a huge upset, Lucie Safarova beat world No. 4 Dominika Cibulkova 7-6(5), 6-1. Safarova was one of four unseeded players to reach the round of 16.

The other three are Lara Arruabarrena, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Risa Ozaki—none of whom will be moving on.

Britain’s Johanna Konta defeated Arruabarrena in evening action 7-5, 6-1, while Kerber defeated Ozaki 6-2, 6-2. Arruabarrena and Ozaki were both making their debuts at the Miami Open.

Meanwhile, Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni defeated Mattek-Sands 7-5, 6-4.

In the afternoon’s marquee matchup, world No. 14 Caroline Wozniacki defeated No. 6 Garbine Muguruza 7-6(1), who retired during the first set due to her health. Wozniacki will face Safarova in the next round.

In doubles play, the Australian duo of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua was defeated by Taiwan’s Yung-Jan Chan and No. 8 doubles player Martina Hingis 6-2, 6-3.

Strycova, who lost to Pliskova in the morning, won in doubles play with partner Sania Mirza against Hungary’s Timea Babos and Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 1-6, 6-1, 10-4.

World No. 3 Halep defeated Australia’s Samantha Stosur 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Prior to the contest, the two were locked at 4-4 in previous meetups.

In the evening session, world No. 12 Venus Williams beat world No. 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 7-6(4). They two are now 5-5 in career matchups.

Check out the full results here: https://www.miamiopen.com/live-scoring-2017

Check out the schedule of match play here:  https://www.miamiopen.com/2017-draws-and-order-of-play

Tickets for the annual event start at $12 for youth and $15 for adults. A group rate of $7 is also available for 20 or more and grant access to all day session matches. Tickets are on sale now, for more information go to www.miamiopen.com or call the Miami Open ticket office at 305-442-3367.

The 2017 Miami Open is scheduled for March 20 – April 2 and will once again be the hottest ticket in town. With ticket packages starting at just $136 and individual sessions starting at $20 the Miami Open will be the place-to-be.

About the Miami Open presented by Itaú

The 2017 Miami Open will be played March 20-April 2 at the Crandon Tennis Center in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of its exotic Miami location, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and its celebrity appeal. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.

About Itaú

Itau is the largest Latin America privately owned bank, with approximately 95,000 employees and operations in 20 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Itaú’s relationship with sport goes back to the 1970s, when Itaú first sponsored the Itaú Tennis Cup in Brazil in 1970. Itaú has been a sponsor of the Miami Open for the last six years, and also sponsors the Rio Open, the only combined ATP/WTA event in South America. Itaú also supports the Brazilian Women’s Tennis Circuit, only female professional tournament in South America, certified by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the Tennis Institute Training Center, responsible for the development of young, new talent.

About IMG

IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion and media operating in more than 25 countries around the world. IMG’s businesses include Events Media, College, Golf, Tennis, Performance and IMG Academy, Fashion, Models, Clients, Licensing, Joint Ventures, and creative management agency Art + Commerce. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency. Together, the companies offer an unparalleled client roster; strategic partnerships with sponsors and brands; and marquee assets across sports, entertainment, events, music and fashion.