Djokovic withdraws from Miami due to injury, Zheng Qinwen faces a tough draw, Sabalenka wins the trophy, Medvedev presents plate to Haas.

16/03/2026 13:11:00 PANDATV

Three minutes a day, know all tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Monday, March 16, 2026. Welcome to watch or listen to the News Midday Report provided by "Tennis Home".

Let's first focus on a latest update. This morning Beijing time, foreign media reported that Serbian tennis king Novak Djokovic has decided to withdraw from the upcoming ATP 1000 Miami Masters due to a right shoulder injury. At Indian Wells, Djokovic had been wearing an arm brace during matches and confirmed discomfort in his forearm. Now, his shoulder adds another injury, meaning issues with his entire right arm. Take good care and recover! Rest well, see you again in the clay season!

The singles draw for the WTA 1000 Miami event has been released. The top eight seeds' matchups: Upper half, Sabalenka--Paolini, Rybakina--Pegula; Lower half, Anisimova--Gauff, Mirra Andreeva--Swiatek. Last year's quarterfinalist, Chinese top player Zheng Qinwen, is seeded No.23, receives a first-round bye, and will face American Brady or Stephens in the second round. The potential third-round opponent is American star Keys or Croatian Ružić who recently defeated her. The fourth-round projected opponent is world No.1 Sabalenka. The draw is tough, with significant pressure to defend points.

Second sister Wang Xinyu is seeded No.29, also gets a first-round bye, and will face American McNally or a qualifier in the second round. Veteran Zhang Shuai faces Romanian player Cîrstea in the first round, a challenging match to advance.

Let's return to the tournaments. This morning Beijing time, the ATP/WTA 1000 Indian Wells event concluded spectacularly. In the women's singles final held first, top seed and world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, after losing the first set 3-6, launched a counterattack. She ultimately saved a championship point in the decisive set tiebreak, winning 6-3, 7-6(6) to narrowly reverse third seed and former champion Elena Rybakina. After three finals attempts, she finally achieved victory, claiming her 10th career 1000-level title and ending her four consecutive final losses to Rybakina.

After the match, Sabalenka, holding her first trophy here, thanked her opponent and coaching team as usual in her speech, and also remembered to thank her fiancé: "This place is truly tennis paradise. I love coming here to compete every year. Thank goodness I finally won this championship. Thanks to my team, you've always been with me, giving the best advice, supporting me constantly, enduring my match chatter. I also thank my fiancé. What an incredible week! Adopted a puppy, got engaged, and won a title—this experience I will definitely remember forever."

In the subsequent men's singles final, second seed and world No.2 Jannik Sinner battled through two tiebreaks, finally winning 7-6(6), 7-6(4) against Russian star Daniil Medvedev, extending his winning streak against him to five consecutive victories, and capturing his first Indian Wells Masters title. This marks the Italian's 100th career Masters win and his sixth Masters championship, achieving the feat of winning all six hardcourt Masters events.

The 24-year-old Sinner also became the youngest male player to win all major hardcourt tournament titles, setting a new historical record. Although Medvedev reached the final three times without winning, presenting three runner-up plates, his semifinal victory over world No.1 Alcaraz and his intense two-tiebreak battle with world No.2 Sinner in the final officially announce his return to the top tier.

After the match, Medvedev did not forget to thank the tournament organizers: "Thank you very much. This year the courts have become much faster. Thank you for listening to my suggestion." At that moment, tournament director Tommy Haas smiled beside him.