MIAMI — Unfazed by an early rain delay, No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko dominated Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the Miami Open third round for the first time.
The match was initially supposed to start at 10:30 a.m., one of the first on Friday, but was pushed back due to rain. Then, after Mboko and Blinkova traded breaks in the second and third games of the first set, a sudden downpour halted play.
Mboko retreated to the locker room for some cards, a go-to activity that keeps her calm during breaks and prevents any overthinking. (She prefers to stay off her phone in such situations.)
When they resumed close to 1:00 p.m., Mboko certainly seemed calm. She also seemed determined and loose, coming out of…