Which was your favorite rally of the Miami second round?
The second round of the Miami Open took three days to complete — but in between the rain delays, thrilling rallies abounded. Vote for your favorite below.
10. Firmly on the back foot, Sorana Cirstea seemed to be at Sloane Stephens’s mercy as the American rifled a forehand into the corner. But Cirstea responded by redirecting it for a remarkable backhand angled winner.
9. Emma Navarro delivered a masterclass in court geometry and anticipation to outdo Storm Hunter with a point that featured angles, volleys, spins and finally a neat passing shot.
8. How to save break point, Aryna Sabalenka-style: pummel groundstrokes back and forth with Paula Badosa in a brutal baseline exchange, then flip the point on its head with a subtly angled slice winner.
7. About the most extreme defense-to-offense transition you’ll see this week. Peyton Stearns only just got her racquet on a ferocious forehand by Victoria Azarenka, managing to loft a fine backhand lob in response. On her very next shot, the American hammered an inside-in forehand for a winner on the line.
6. Dayana Yastremska rarely lets up, and she went full-bore at Daria Saville for 25 high-octane shots at a crucial juncture of their match. The Ukrainian shook off net cords and Saville’s tireless defense to finally flash a backhand winner.
5. As the only player aged under 30 with a single-handed backhand in the Top 100, Diane Parry holds the survival of an increasingly rare shot in her hands. If passing shots like this one that she found against Beatriz Haddad Maia are anything to go by, its presence on tour is safe for a few years yet.
4. Madison Keys may be known for power, but she thrilled the crowd by bringing out the variety — multiple drop shots, a lob and a pair of volleys — on the way to closing out Diana Shnaider in straight sets.
3. It seemed to be vintage Caroline Wozniacki at first: the Dane turned defense into offense and was in command at net, with Anhelina Kalinina caught in no-man’s land. But the Ukrainian showed off her hands, reflexing a backhand volley from inside the baseline to the opposite corner of the court.
2. Naomi Osaka also came up with a remarkable improvised volley from just inside the baseline against Elina Svitolina. Moving backwards to cut off the Ukrainian’s forehand, Osaka had no time to wait for the ball to bounce — so simply stretched and flicked a backhand winner behind her opponent.
1. When Elise Mertens and Taylor Townsend come forwards, you’re in for a treat. This wild point saw both players showing off all their creativity as they sought to take the net away from each other, and it was the Belgian who finally came out on top with the winning volley.