Bianca Andreescu booked her place in the last 16 of the Miami Open for the third time in as many appearances with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Sofia Kenin.

It was the fifth time that Andreescu and Kenin have played, but their first encounter since either became a Grand Slam champion. Their last meeting was in the 2019 Toronto semifinals, which Andreescu won 6-4, 7-6(5) en route to her second career title. The Canadian now leads their head-to-head 4-1.

Andreescu previously reached the fourth round of Miami in 2019, fresh off lifting her first Hologic WTA Tour trophy in Indian Wells. Two years later, she returned to make the final. Both runs ended in retirement -- due to a right shoulder injury against Anett Kontaveit in 2019, and due to an ankle sprain against Ashleigh Barty in 2021.

"Last time I played here in 2021, I did not enjoy myself," Andreescu said in the on-court interview. "I did not feel that I deserved to be in that final. But this year, I feel like a totally different person, and I definitely feel I deserve to be here right now."

Keys to the match: The contest was a serve-dominated affair, with almost no extended rallies. Of the 110 points, 87 ended within five shots, and only three exceeded 10 strokes.

Andreescu, who maintained a 70% first serve percentage compared to Kenin's 54%, was the superior exponent of first-strike play. For a set-and-a-half, the 2019 US Open champion was almost untouchable on serve: she built a 6-4, 4-1 lead dropping only nine points behind her delivery. Kenin had her share of rapid service holds, too, but Andreescu found clean return winners to break for 2-1 in the first set and 4-1 in the second.

Kenin threatened a comeback as her forehand began firing in the second set, breaking Andreescu for the first time with a return winner of her own and cutting the lead to 4-3. But the double-break deficit was too much to overcome, and Andreescu sealed her first match point as a Kenin forehand found the net.

"She hits the ball very flat, and when she's on, she's on," said Andreescu. "I felt she was serving very well; I was serving well, as well. But my serve in the key moments and some of my returns were the things that got me through today."

What's next for Andreescu: A fourth-round date with No.18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated No.9 seed Belinda Bencic 7-6(8), 6-3 in 1 hour and 55 minutes. Alexandrova saved four set points in the first set, two serving at 4-5 and two in the tiebreak. She swatted away the third of those with a finely angled return winner, and went on to notch her 10th career Top 10 win and first since defeating Aryna Sabalenka in last year's 's-Hertogenbosch final.

Highlights: Alexandrova d. Bencic

Alexandrova and Bencic are now tied at three wins apiece in a rivalry dating back to 2019. This was just their second hard-court encounter; Bencic won the first 6-4, 6-2 in the third round of Indian Wells 2019.

Alexandrova will be making her Miami fourth-round debut, and will face Andreescu for the first time.