Aryna Sabalenka didn't shy away from expressing her bewilderment following the Miami Open authorities' call to "cancel" her round of 64 match and ask her to play at a different venue.

While most of the Miami Open is scheduled to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium, the authorities shifted Sabalenka's round of 64 match against Ann Li to the Butch Buchholz Court at the eleventh hour. 'Tiger' didn't let this deter her performance as she won the match 77-65, 6-4, and advanced to the round of 32.

However, following her victory, she questioned the authorities' call to shift her match, "or" allegedly "cancel" it. She said, "Well, I was actually shocked that they were considering cancelling my match, or they were like giving me a couple of options of the stadiums."

She also questioned why adjustments couldn’t be made elsewhere, pointing out that Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca match. She stated, "I was like, 'But what's the problem for [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Joao] Fonseca to start later?' Because yesterday the night session started at 9:00 and de Minaur was playing."

With Alcaraz's match staying in prime time, the 27-year-old explained, "I decided to play today because if I win, I get a day off."

However, in the end, she sympathised with the organizers, explaining, "It’s tricky, because Carlos Alcaraz was also playing. So it’s like having two No. 1 players, and the tournament has to decide what to do. I’m just happy they gave me options."

Regardless, with the win, Aryna Sabalenka now moves on to face Qinwen Zheng in the fourth round of the Miami Open, marking their ninth career meeting on Monday on Stadium.

Why did the Miami Open Authorities Shift Aryna Sabalenka's Match?

Before the event began, Miami Open tournament director James Blake spoke about his scheduling plans, mainly focusing on managing the fanbases of Alexandra Eala and Joao Fonseca.

He explained his thinking by admitting, “Yes, harking back last year when I learned my lesson of Fonseca needs to be on stadium, and he will be, yes. I think we’re going to need them to be on centre court because they have so many fans worldwide, and here it’s going to feel like home matches for both of them,” the former world no.4 added.

Blake’s approach shows he was trying to avoid repeating last year’s mistakes, which is why he prioritized putting those players on the main court. However, that decision ended up influencing the schedule and ultimately affecting Aryna Sabalenka.

So, do you think Aryna Sabalenka was treated unfairly compared to other top players in the Miami Open schedule?

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Souvik Roy