Tennis: Baltacha has the stomach for another upset in Miami

BRITISH women's tennis No.1 Elena Baltacha looked forward to the opportunity to cause another upset after she booked her place in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Iveta Benesova.

The 26-year-old Scot, who needed to negotiate two qualifying rounds to reach the main draw, now faces world No.14 Yanina Wickmayer, and she is hoping for a repeat of her recent victory over Li Na in Indian Wells.

"I like playing the big names. Why not?" said Baltacha. "I'm playing well and I've got all the momentum because I've come through three tough matches in two sets and she hasn't played a match yet. I feel very confident. I've got absolutely nothing to lose."

Baltacha was particularly pleased with her focus in beating a player who, at No.59, is ranked three places above her.

"I knew going into the match not to take her lightly," said the Briton. "She's very talented, very gifted and she's very dangerous.

"I just went out there and I was so focused and so in the zone from the first ball to the last ball.

"It was quite bizarre that I was off that court that quickly."

A grieving Anne Keothavong made an early exit as she lost in straight sets to Austria's Tamira Paszek. The 26-year-old from Middlesex admitted after losing 6-4, 6-2 that her mind had not been on the game following the death of her grandmother on Tuesday. "Tennis just didn't seem that important," she said.

Heather Watson also exited the Florida tournament as she suffered a 6-4, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova.