Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka kept their "Sunshine Double" dreams alive with emphatic victories at the ATP/WTA Miami Open on Monday as defending men's champion Jakub Mensik joined a slew of seeds who crashed out.
Sinner and Sabalenka are bidding to join an elite band of players who have won Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back, and arrived in Florida brimming with confidence after their respective victories in the California desert earlier this month.
Women's world No 1 Sabalenka, defending the Miami title she won for the first time last year, cruised into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 demolition of China's 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
Sinner, who is chasing a second victory in Miami after lifting the title in 2024, was similarly comfortable in his third-round clash with French 30th seed Corentin Moutet, winning 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the last 16.
Breaking Records (feat. @janniksin) 🎤
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 24, 2026
The Italian defeats Moutet 6-1, 6-4 and will face Michelsen for a place in the quarter-finals. @MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/rNM6dWWQKa
Sabalenka is aiming to become only the fifth woman to complete the Indian Wells-Miami double after Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek.
On Monday's form, few would bet against the big-hitting four-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus, who comfortably disposed of 23rd seed Zheng in 1hr 25min.
"She's a tough opponent and I'm super happy with the level I played at today," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. "I can definitely say that it felt like home.
"I feel like I'm getting better, serving better, getting used to these conditions, which are tricky. But I'm getting more and more comfortable with every match," added Sabalenka, who faces unseeded American Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals.
Simply incredible 💫@SabalenkaA reaches her 32nd career WTA 1000 quarterfinal defeating Zheng 6-3, 6-4 in Miami.#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/oKvbT6em6X
— wta (@WTA) March 23, 2026
Baptiste was one of three American women to advance to the last eight on Monday.
Fourth seed Coco Gauff downed Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, while fifth seed Jessica Pegula beat another Romanian, Jacqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-1.
Canada's Victoria Mboko, seeded 10, upset Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-0 to set up a quarterfinal with Czech 13th seed Karolina Muchova, who strolled past Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 6-0, 6-2.
SINNER STROLL, MENSIK FALLS
In the men's draw, Italian second seed Sinner was always in control against France's Moutet on the Hard Rock Stadium's main court.
Sinner will face unseeded American Alex Michelsen in the last 16. Michelsen defeated Chile's Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier Monday.
Jannik is putting on a show ðŸŽ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 24, 2026
@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/jdcZIZvJRf
But while Sinner sailed through, defending champion Jakub Mensik was among the latest crop of seeds to tumble out, losing a gruelling three-setter against 19th seed Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (13/11).
A 2hr 55min slug-fest was decided by a marathon third set tiebreak when Czech 20-year-old Mensik saved six match points before finally succumbing.
US hope Tiafoe, who himself saved two match points in the final tiebreak, sealed victory after converting his seventh match point when a Mensik return of serve drifted wide.
Tiafoe will face France's Terence Atmane in the last 16. Atmane powered into the fourth round with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 upset of Canadian seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday.
Auger-Aliassime joined a lengthening list of seeds who have stumbled in the early rounds in Miami that includes Indian Wells runner-up Daniil Medvedev, who was shown the door earlier Monday in a 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 loss to Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo.
Medvedev's exit followed the departures of world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Australian fifth seed Alex De Minaur and eighth seed Ben Shelton.
Another French player, 31st seed Ugo Humbert, beat Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).
Third seed Alexander Zverev got past Croatian veteran Marin Cilic 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.