Magda Linette upset pre-match favourite Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Miami Masters on hard court in the first round, winning 7–6, 6–2. Despite entering as the betting favourite with odds of 1.7, Pavlyuchenkova could not maintain her advantage, with Linette capitalising on a tight opening set that went to a tiebreak before dominating the second to secure a commanding victory. The result represents a significant statement from Linette, who outperformed expectations to progress past a seeded opponent in straight sets. Linette's breakthrough performance at this Masters 1000 event could prove pivotal for her ranking trajectory and confidence moving forward in the tournament.