Belinda Bencic advanced to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open with a straight-sets 6-2, 6-2 victory over Amanda Anisimova. The match concluded amid chaos on match point when two spectators disrupted play by standing to leave. The chair umpire intervened, prompting boos from the crowd.
Belinda Bencic, the 12th seed, dominated Amanda Anisimova with a 6-2, 6-2 win on March 24 at the Miami Open's Grandstand court. The Swiss player struck 19 winners across 14 games, landed 87% of her first serves, and captured 72% of those points. Her powerful groundstrokes kept Anisimova off balance throughout, extending Bencic's head-to-head lead to 3-2. This marks Bencic's 12th appearance at the quarterfinal stage of a WTA 1000 event and her second time reaching this round in Miami, ending a four-year absence at this level here. She will face Coco Gauff next. The match's final moments turned tense at 5-2 in the second set, as Bencic prepared to serve for the victory. Two spectators behind her stood to exit, drawing immediate attention. The chair umpire halted play and addressed them directly: “Thank You! Behind the player here on my right! Either you take a seat, or you leave quickly.” The fans departed swiftly, but the crowd responded with loud boos, expressing frustration over the timing. Anisimova's supporters appeared particularly annoyed. Bencic remained composed and sealed the win. Such disruptions echo prior incidents in tennis, including a fan ejection at last year's US Open during Jordan Thompson's match against Corentin Moutet, and confrontations at the Italian Open involving Alex de Minaur and earlier at this year's Miami Open with Jannik Sinner.