Routliffe Advances to Miami Open Quarterfinals, Venus Falls Short
Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and her American partner, Asia Muhammad, are through to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open women’s doubles tournament, while Michael Venus suffered a heartbreaking loss in a closely contested match on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Routliffe and Muhammad Dominate in Round of 16
Routliffe and Muhammad secured their place in the quarterfinals with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Miyu Kato of Japan and Zhaoxuan Yang of China. Their aggressive all-court game proved too strong for their opponents, according to Tennis.kiwi. Routliffe highlighted their strong serving and consistent pressure as key factors in their win.
“We made a lot of returns and continued to put pressure on them throughout,” Routliffe said after the match.
The duo broke their opponents’ serve early in both sets, establishing a firm control of the match. They will now face the top seeds, Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani of Italy, in the quarterfinals.
Venus Narrowly Misses Out After Seven-Month Hiatus
New Zealand’s Michael Venus made a valiant return to tournament play after a seven-month absence due to elbow surgery, but ultimately fell short in a nail-biting third-set tiebreak. Venus and his partner, Yuki Bhambri of India, lost to Sander Arends of the Netherlands and John-Patrick Smith of Australia 6-4, 5-7, 13-15.
The match was a back-and-forth affair, with Venus and Bhambri winning the first set 6-4 before their opponents rallied to take the second set 7-5. The deciding super-tiebreak was incredibly tight, with both teams trading points until Arends and Smith secured the victory 15-13.
Sun Qualifies for Miami Open Main Draw
In singles action, New Zealand’s Lulu Sun qualified for the main draw of the Miami Open after winning two rounds of qualifying matches. She defeated Maria Timofeeva of Uzbekistan 6-4, 7-6, and Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-3, 6-3. Sun lost in the first round to Taylor Townsend of the United States 6-7, 3-6. Tennis.kiwi reports that Vekic previously defeated Sun in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2024 and won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in the same year.
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