Zheng Qinwen defeats Lauren Davis to reach third round at Miami Open

Zheng Qinwen of China beat Lauren Davis of the USA 6-1, 7-5 in women's singles action at the Miami Open in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, advancing to the third round of the tournament.

China's World No. 9 showed her dominance from the beginning, and broke her American opponent in the second game to lead 3-0 in the opener, before clinching the first set in 25 minutes. Zheng fired a total of six aces in the frame.

Zheng broke the crowd favorite again in the first game of the second set, en route to a 3-1 lead. But Davis improved her backhand shots as the match went on, and took three straight games to grab a 4-3 edge.

After the pair split the next two games to leave Davis in front 5-4, Zheng made good use of her powerful serves to secure three straight games and close out the contest. She added six more aces in the second set.

The ninth-seeded Zheng will face another home player, Taylor Townsend, in the next round.

In women's doubles competition, Chinese pair Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan defeated Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Chan Hao-ching of Chinese Taipei 7-5, 6-4. They will meet Russia's Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider in the round of 16.

On the men's side, Buyunchaokete of China knocked out Cameron Norrie of Great Britain 6-4, 6-2 in the first round. Wu Yibing was eliminated by Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3.