In-form Sorana Cirstea sets up rematch with Garcia at Miami Open

Romanian Sorana Cirstea won against Mexican wildcard Fernanda Contreras Gomez 7-6 (6), 6-2 to advance to the second round of the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday.

She had her hands full with Contrera Gomez, but found a way back from 5-3 down in the opening set to force a tiebreak, before saving a pair of set points to take the opening set 7-6(6).

Cirstea reeled off the final four games to lock down the win in just over two hours.

The Romanian, now working with Tomas Johansson in her coaching box, upset fifth-seeded Caroline Garcia last week to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells last week before falling to Iga Swiatek, 6-2, 6-3.

The pair will meet again on Thursday at Miami — all three of their previous meetings have gone to three sets, with Garcia taking the first two.

The former world No 21 comes in at 74 in the rankings this week, but is playing more like a top 50 player.

Miami WTA 1000, other first-round results (Hard Rock Stadium, hard, USD 8.800.000, most recent results first):

• Sloane Stephens vs. Shelby Rogers
• Anna Blinkova vs. Jule Niemeier
• Lesia Tsurenko vs. Leylah Fernandez
• Xinyu Wang vs. Anna-Lena Friedsam
• Anna Bondar vs. Taylor Townsend
• Sofia Kenin vs. Storm Hunter: wednesday
• Marketa Vondrousova vs. Tatjana Maria: wednesday
• Robin Montgomery vs. Ana Bogdan: wednesday
• Madison Brengle beat Amanda Anisimova: 7-6 (5), 5-2 ret.
• Varvara Gracheva (Q) beat Maryna Zanevska: 6-1, 7-5
• Bianca Andreescu beat Emma Raducanu: 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
• Aliaksandra Sasnovich beat Dalma Galfi: 6-3, 7-6 (5)
• Karolina Muchova (Q) beat Jil Teichmann: 6-0, 6-2
• Erika Andreeva (WC) beat Ashlyn Krueger (WC): 7-5, 6-2
• Linda Noskova beat Lucia Bronzetti: 6-3, 6-4
• Viktorija Golubic (Q) beat Hailey Baptiste (WC): 7-6 (3), 6-1
• Evgeniya Rodina beat Bernarda Pera: 6-3, 6-4
• Viktoriya Tomova (LL) beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Q): 7-5, 6-2
• Laura Siegemund (Q) beat Mayar Sherif: 6-3, 6-4
• Katherine Sebov (Q) beat Linda Fruhvirtova: 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
• Tereza Martincova (Q) beat Tamara Korpatsch: 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
• Camila Giorgi beat Kaia Kanepi: 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4)
• Claire Liu beat Katerina Siniakova: 3-6, 3-3 ret.
• Elise Mertens beat Alycia Parks: 6-1, 6-4
• Rebecca Marino beat Yulia Putintseva: 7-6 (4), 6-2
• Anna Kalinskaya beat Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (WC): 6-4, 6-2
• Mirjam Bjorklund (Q) beat Jasmine Paolini: 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Xiyu Wang beat Brenda Fruhvirtova (WC): 6-0, 7-5
• Marta Kostyuk beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto: 6-3, 6-2
• Irina-Camelia Begu beat Alexandra Eala (WC): 6-2, 7-5
• Nao Hibino (Q) beat Danka Kovinic: 6-3, 6-3