For the second consecutive year, Naomi Osaka and Liudmila Samsonova clashed in the second round of a major WTA 1000 tournament during the Sunshine Double series. Once again, Osaka, a former world number one, emerged victorious in straight sets.

Osaka defeated the No. 24 seed Samsonova with a score of 6-2, 6-4 at the Miami Open, presented by Itaú, on Thursday evening. Osaka, who was a finalist in Miami in 2022, resisted a late push from her opponent to secure the win in 1 hour and 22 minutes. This victory mirrors her straight-sets win against Samsonova at Indian Wells last year.

Following a first-round defeat at Indian Wells this year, Osaka has regained her momentum in Miami. She built upon her previous comeback victory against Yuliia Starodubtseva with this win over Samsonova. Osaka’s record for 2025 now stands at 8 wins and 3 losses.

Throughout most of the match, Osaka’s serve was dominant against Samsonova, who is ranked 21st and recently reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells.

Osaka secured 79 percent of her first-serve points and three-quarters of her second-serve points in this powerful matchup. She also served six aces, which is slightly below her season average of 6.5 aces per match.

Osaka’s serving statistics could have been even more impressive, but she missed an opportunity to close out the match at 5-3 in the second set, despite holding a match point on Samsonova’s serve at 5-2. In that game, Samsonova earned her first break points of the match and capitalized with a forehand winner to break back.

However, Osaka was equally effective in her return game, winning 62 percent of points on Samsonova’s second serve. She quickly recovered and broke serve to win the match.

Osaka’s next opponent will be wild card entry Hailey Baptiste from the United States. Earlier on Thursday, Baptiste, ranked 98th, achieved her third Top 20 victory by upsetting No. 12 seed Daria Kasatkina in a thrilling 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 match.

Osaka and Baptiste previously played in the quarterfinals in Auckland earlier this year. Osaka won that match 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-2, on her way to becoming the runner-up to Clara Tauson in New Zealand.

Danielle Collins, the No. 14 seed and defending champion in Miami, also advanced to the third round with a victory in the night session. Collins, who won her first WTA 1000 title in Miami last year, defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-4, 7-6(3) in the final match on stadium court. Collins maintains a perfect 3-0 record against Cirstea after this 1-hour and 40-minute victory.

Collins, a Florida resident, has consistently performed well in Miami, reaching the semifinals in 2018 and the quarterfinals in 2022, in addition to her 2024 title. Her win against Cirstea improves her Miami main-draw record to 19-5.

In her title defense, Collins will face Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland for the first time. Earlier on Thursday, Masarova upset Donna Vekic 6-1, 6-3 to secure her third Top 20 win and advance.