Aryna Sabalenka kept her hopes of a 2026 Sunshine Doubles alive with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over American Caty McNally on Sunday night.
The top seed, ranked No. 1 in the world, was tested at times by the Ohio native but ultimately came through, winning eight of his final 10 games to seal a spot in the round of 16.
Sabalenka will next face former Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, who defeated Madison Keys 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Hailey Baptiste was also a winner on Sunday, with the American ousting No. 9 seed Elena Svitolina 6-3, 7-5 and setting up a last-16 meeting with Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Jasmine Paolini 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.
Last weekend’s Indian Wells runner-up Elena Rybakina defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4, while Talia Gibson continued her strong form, defeating American Iva Jovic 6-2, 6-2.
Gibson is a 21-year-old qualifier who had never recorded a top-50 win (0-9) before heading to Indian Wells. Since then, she has scored seven top-50 wins.
The Australian, who had only won two WTA events before Indian Wells, has now won seven. She will face Rybakina in the round of 16.
