Mirra Andreeva got back on track after her emotional exit at Indian Wells by seeing off McCartney Kessler in an entertaining clash at the Miami Open.

The 18-year-old had lost her only previous meeting with Kessler in Montreal last year and came into this event under pressure, having been distraught and angry when Katerina Siniakova ended her Indian Wells title defence in the third round last time out.

Andreeva was tested on Thursday and taken to a decider, but ultimately prevailed 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-1.

The eighth seed will now take on Marie Bouzkova in round three at the WTA 1000 event.

"I am kind of learning from my mistakes, I guess," Andreeva said after her win. "So, I am just super happy to win this match, super happy to get the win.

"She is an amazing player, a very dangerous opponent, so I am just super happy to get revenge against her and to advance further in the tournament."

26 matches on Day 3 @MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/qwQvLCQPcr

— wta (@WTA) March 20, 2026

It looked like being a routine night for Andreeva when she took just 21 minutes to win the opening set.

But Kessler had already gone the distance in round one and took this clash to a final set, too, by producing an impressive tie-break after both players had exchanged one break of serve.

The American then held serve to start the third set, but a ruthless Andreeva then reeled off six consecutive games to claim a much-needed victory in just under two hours.

Data Debrief: Andreeva starts well again

Having had a bye through round one, this was a strong start to the tournament for Andreeva.

The Russian typically starts well and has a perfect record from her seven opening-round matches so far this season.

In a more disciplined performance, Andreeva finished with 24 winners to 21 unforced errors, and broke serve seven times across the match, losing her own just once.

Kessler was aggressive and ended up with 25 winners, but had a higher unforced error count of 36, with six double faults.