Bia Haddad shines in the night and advances to the US Open round of 16

In a long Saturday night session in New York, Beatriz Haddad Maia and her opponent, Maria Sakkari (30 years old, #64 in the world rankings), only took to Louis Armstrong Stadium at 11:30 p.m. local time, and the Brazilian made the wait worthwhile. With a solid performance, focusing on long rallies and making very few errors, the 29-year-old from Sao Paulo was brilliant. She won 6/1 and 6/2, closing the match past midnight and securing a spot in the US Open round of 16.
This will be Bia’s second consecutive time among the top 16 in the American tournament. Last year, the Brazilian went one round further and was only eliminated in the quarterfinals. This year, she will have the chance to repeat her 2024 campaign, but it won’t be easy. Her next opponent will be Amanda Anisimova, the world number 9 and current Wimbledon runner-up. On Saturday, the 24-year-old American defeated Romanian Jaqueline Cristian (#50) 6/4, 4/6, 6/2.
The victory over Sakkari extended Bia’s dominance in their head-to-head matches to five wins out of five encounters. Against Anisimova, the Brazilian has faced off three times and won only once. Their last clash was in January 2023, at the WTA Brisbane, where Haddad Maia won 6/4, 7/5.