The curtains close on the American hardcourt swing this spring season, and the Miami Open did not fail to deliver another amazing show. Serena Williams capped it all of with her eighth title all time and her third consecutive in Key Biscayne. Carla Suarez Navarro made some noise making her first WTA Premier Mandatory final falling in straight sets to Serena. Serena was just too much for Suarez Navarro as her power was just too overwhelming for the Spaniard. It was a pure domination for the American dropping two games en route to the title. Today, VAVEL USA discusses the champion, the best/surprising performers, and the players that fell short of expectations.
Champion: Serena Williams: Maybe Serena took a gander at our preview and saw she was not the favorite for her home tournament. She set to prove us wrong, and that she did. The world number one was not battle tested in her early rounds making light work of Monica Niculescu, junior world number one Cici Bellis, and former Miami champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. It was not until the quarterfinals where she was challenged by Sabine Lisicki. This match was odd in the sense that there were many breaks of serve, which one would not expect in a matchup between these two. Serena took the first set in a tiebreaker, after Liscki failed to serve out the set at 6-5. Williams looked to have momentum with her breaking Liscki in the first service game of the second set, but Liscki would roar right back taking six consecutive games. Serena regained her composure to take the final set, 6-3, to set up a matchup against her newest rival, Simona Halep. Just like many of their previous showdowns, this one went the distance as Serena would win it in three sets. Williams had difficulty closing it out as Halep broke to extend the match, but she found a way once again to fight it out winning, 7-5 in the final set.
Winner: Carla Suarez Navarro: For the Spaniard to make the final of this tournament was a surprise to all. Her path to the final was quite interesting overcoming a bagel set and delivering a bagel of her own. After dropping the first to Agnieszka Radwanska, but she delivered a stunning second set bagel and earned the break she needed to take the third. Against Venus Williams, the American started off hot with a bagel set of her own, but the Spanish number one picked up her play to win it in three. Andrea Petkovic didn't do much to challenge Suarez Navarro as it only took a break in each set to send her to the final. With the finals appearance, Suarez Navarro breaks into the top ten for the first time ever.
Winner: Sloane Stephens: After her breakout season in 2013, the young American has faltered with the pressure and being in the spotlight. She hoped that 2015 would be the year she turned it around with her new coach Nick Saviano helping her. After making it to the fourth round last week at Indian Wells, she would follow that up with a quarterfinals appearance in Key Biscayne. The key to her success is that she's not always playing "under her shell" at the back of the court. She has learned to dictate points with her forehand and not just play defensive tennis. The next steps for her are seeing how well she does on the clay, likely her best surface.
Loser: Eugenie Bouchard: After a poor showing in Indian Wells, Bouchard was hoping to put that behind her and perform well down in Florida. However, it was not the best of times for her as a nagging injury (strained pectoral) and poor play saw her out in her first match to qualifier Tatjana Maria. After this loss, the questions are piling up on Bouchard on why she cannot perform outside of the majors. The tennis universe awaits to see how she does in Charleston on the clay.
Loser: Madison Keys: Back to the topic of Americans unable to handle the pressure and the spotlight, is that what is happening to Madison Keys? After a semifinal run at the Australian Open in 2015, the teenage sensation has fallen short of expectations in these last two tournaments. Relatively early exits in both tournaments are making us wonder, if she is experiencing what Sloane Stephens had in 2013. It's never easy being the heir to the throne, but to be the heir to Serena Williams brings a newfound pressure. Clay may not be her best surface so we await how she fares at Wimbledon before the next check in on her.