
Raducanu loses in Miami after medical treatment
Emma Raducanu's encouraging Miami Open run comes to an end with a quarter-final defeat by fourth seed Jessica Pegula.
The 19-year-old extended her historic run at the WTA 1000 event with a stunning 6-2, 7-5 victory against the world No 2 and five-time Grand Slam winner. Eala remarkably broke Swiatek in eight of the Polish great's 10 service games and struck a host of amazing forehand winners down the line in the contest. In her on-court interview, a stunned Eala said: "I don't know what to say. I'm in complete disbelief right now, I'm on cloud nine." When shown a photo of her graduation from the Rafa Nadal Academy less than two years ago, with Swiatek by her side, Eala said: "It's so surreal. "I feel like I'm the exact same person as I was in that photo. But of course, circumstances have changed! I'm so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage. "My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take all the opportunities I can, because a five-time Slam champion is not going to give you the win." Eala, who is competing as a wildcard, is the first player from the Philippines to reach a semi-final at tour level. Having entered the tournament as the world No 140, Eala will become the first player in her nation's history to break into the top 100 of the women's or men's rankings. Eala's victory over Swiatek was her third win against a former Grand Slam champion during her run in Miami after she beat Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. The teenager has not dropped a set en route to the semi-finals, having earned four wins and also received a walkover from Paula Badosa in the last 16. The left-hander will face the winner of the quarter-final matchup between Jessica Pegula and Emma Raducanu in the last four. For Swiatek, the defeat has lengthened her run without winning a title and she has not reached a final since securing her fourth French Open crown in June last year. The 23-year-old Pole has fallen at either the quarter-final or semi-final stage in all five of her WTA tournaments so far this season.
Emma Raducanu's encouraging Miami Open run comes to an end with a quarter-final defeat by fourth seed Jessica Pegula.
Second seed Iga Swiatek suffers a monumental shock as Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala continues her dream run to reach the Miami Open semi-finals.
The world No 1 was practising at the Miami Open before her match against Elise Mertens when the man started his tirade of abuse. In the video, released online, the individual can be heard shouting towards Swiatek: "Hey Iga, call your mother. Iga, when are you going to make up with your mother?" "Daria runs with water, like a trained dog." said the man, referring to the Pole's psychologist, Daria Abramowicz. "The Miami incident appears to be a direct transition from verbal aggression online to harassment in the real world," Swiatek's spokesperson said to BBC Sport after the incident. "He was aggressive and taunting." The world No 1's PR manager went on to state: "We monitor the network for these types of cases. Constructive criticism is one thing, threats, hate speech, or even team disruption are another: this cannot be allowed. "We reported the matter to the tournament organizer as well as the WTA, who responded immediately and took additional precautions, such as increased security, for which we are very grateful. "Ensuring the safety of the athletes is the most important thing; they are at the centre of the action, and our job is simply to protect them." A spokesperson for the prestigious tournament also commented: "We take the safety and security of all players and tournament attendees extremely seriously. "We constantly evaluate any potential threats and take every measure to respond appropriately. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, we do not disclose the details of our security operations". The incident comes just weeks after an individual was removed from the stands during one of Emma Raducanu's matches in Dubai for displaying 'fixated behaviour. Raducanu, earlier in March, went on to admit: 'I was distraught. I was thinking, I don't know how I'm going to finish. I literally couldn't see the ball through the tears.
Five-time major champion Iga Swiatek is being protected by increased security after being verbally abused during a practice session.
Djokovic's stunning 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in front of an onlooking Serena Williams in Miami confirmed the Serbian legend still has so much to offer as he approaches his 38th birthday, with his levels of brilliance far too much for his 23-year-old rival. Musetti beat Djokovic at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters, but he never got close to the 24-time Grand Slam champion in their latest contest, with the body language of the most successful player in the history of men's tennis saying so much about his confidence levels right now. Musetti raised his arms in celebration as he won his first game in the second set of this match, with the dominance and aura exuded by his legendary rival far too much to contend with for this talented young player. The smile on Djokovic's face as he retrieved a lob and eventually won the point at a moment when he was already eyeing up the finishing line was a snapshot of how Djokovic is feeling heading into the Miami Open quarter-final against Sebastian Korda. This was vintage Djokovic, with the positive arrogance back in abundance as he set his sights on what must be one of his final two big goals in tennis. Djokovic moved past his great rival Rafael Nadal for the most wins in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments earlier in this event and if he can win a seventh title in Miami, his 100th tour win will be a magical milestone to reach. Then he could set his sights on a 25th Grand Slam title, which would edge him ahead of Margaret Court in the battle to win the most major titles in tennis. "I think my level is really good, I'm very happy," Djokovic told Sky Sports Tennis. "This was the best match of the tournament for me so far and what I like is to see me as I progress through the tournament raising the level of tennis and that's what happening. "He played a couple of really good games at the start of the match, but I broke his serve and never looked back. I won nine games in a row. Phenomenal." Djokovic also spoke about the influence his former rival and now coach Andy Murray is having on his game, as he suggested they are still understanding how to work together. "We don't know each other that well as people," said Djokovic. "We have known each other a long time since our junior days, but when you are rivals, you don't interact as much. "Today, as we waited for the matches to start after the rain delay, we had a chance to sit down together and we had a very interesting talk. "I always had tremendous respect for Andy as a player and now as a person. He is such a nice guy and I'm really grateful that he cares about me doing well on the court. "It is still kind of surreal that one of my great rivals is my coach. Fist pumping and jumping around my box. Sometimes I pinch myself and ask if this is real. "We are trying to get the best out of this as a player and coach and we are also trying to spend time together. We've had a great time together playing golf and having dinner. It has been fun." Djokovic also appeared to be inspired by the presence of tennis legend Williams sitting courtside as he added: "It was an honour to have Serena courtside. It may be only the first or second time she has watched me live so maybe I was a bit nervous. "I also had (Juan Martin) Del Potro in the box, so I had to perform in front of them. I think I did well." Djokovic is now set to play his 96th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final match against Korda, with a magical 100th career title now very much in his sights.
Novak Djokovic cruises past Lorenzo Musetti to reach the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.
Another sensational Raducanu display secured her fourth win in Miami, as a dispirited Anisimova looked to run out of ideas early in the match as she couldn't cope with the pace, power and invention of the shots coming at her from her British rival. Raducanu and Anisimova share a warm relationship off the court and that was reflected by their friendly exchange at the net at the end of the match, but there was no mercy shown on the court by the 2021 US Open champion. This version of Raducanu is the closest we have seen to that memorable champion who stunned the sporting world when she won that Grand Slam title in New York and now she is almost certain to be back in the top 50 of the WTA Rankings when they are updated at the end of the Miami Open. Raducanu did not drop a point on her serve in the first set, as she powered past an opponent who has been in good form of late and beat Indian Wells champion Mirra Andreeva in the last round of the Miami Open. "I felt something was going down on the other side (of the net) and it's difficult to stay focused when your opponent is making errors and then blasting the lines on the other side of the net," she said, reflecting on the big win against Anisimova. "You have no idea what's going on and those matches are tough to stay focused all the time. I'm really proud of how I came through that. Amanda has been playing amazing tennis. Won a WTA 1000, top 20, so it's a big win. "I kept going for my shots, buy I'm happy with how I'm moving and I knew I had to dig every ball I could and make it as physical as possible. "I'm happy with how I moved and how I extended the rallies." Raducanu's run in Miami was unexpected after she started the tournament parting company with coach Vladimir Platenik and she seems to be settled in her camp alongside Mark Petchey and Jane O'Donohue, who are helping her in Miami. "I have come a long way in a week," she added. "Since Indian Wells, I wasn't necessarily feeling great, but I have some really great people around me this week who I trust and hvae fun with off the court. That's really important. "I think it's a different approach this week. I think five minutes before the match I was playing spike ball with the team. It helps me to relax. "When I'm playing my best tennis I'm really expressing my personality. "I'd say I'm a bit of a free spirit so I don't need restrictions or being told what to do. "I think when I'm being really authentic, that's when I'm playing my best." Raducanu will be back in action on Wednesday, when she will look to close in on a place in the top 40 of the WTA Rankings with another big win.
Emma Raducanu says she has found her "competitive spirit" after reaching her first WTA 1000 quarter-final with victory over 17th seed Amanda Anisimova in Miami.
Emma Raducanu has never been afraid to do things differently. Without a full-time coach, the "free spirit" is thriving in Miami - and BBC Sport analyses why.
The American's 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3 victory over Andreeva - who had won 13 straight matches heading in - was dominated by two contentious medical timeouts. Teen star Andreeva came into Miami as the newly crowned Dubai and Indian Wells champion and thrashed compatriot Veronika Kudermetova 6-0, 6-2 to start her campaign in Florida. But the 17-year-old looked far from her best early on against Anisimova and, despite coach Conchita Martinez advising against it, the Russian took a medical timeout for a stomach issue just three games into the match. Ansimova would ultimately edge a scrappy first set in a tiebreak, though admitted the early break had disrupted her form. "Of course it wasn't ideal," claimed the American. "I think it broke the rhythm of the match a little bit, because we had just started. I was trying to pick up my rhythm after that. I was happy with the way I was able to fight and stay focused." Andreeva was treated for a second time at the start of the second set, though did not seem too hampered - dropping just two games to force a decider. While Andreeva's early MTO has raised some eyebrows, it was Anisimova's medical timeout deep into the third set that has attracted the most controversy. The 17th seed asked to receive treatment on a blister when the Russian was serving at 1-3 down in the deciding set, with Andreeva claiming "we all know why" her American opponent had asked for medical attention during her service game. Anisimova immediately responded by claiming that you could take a mid-game timeout if the injury was "acute" - something that is allowed in the official rules. Anisimova would eventually close out the win, though was asked further about the issue post-match. "My skin broke on my finger," Anisimova explained. "When you get an acute injury you're allowed to take a timeout, so that's what I did." And, in a final dig at her opponent's gamesmanship accusations, Anisimova posted an Instagram story post-match of her blister - appearing to deliberately highlight her middle finger. Defeat for Andreeva ends her 13-match win streak that saw her win the first two WTA 1000 titles of her career, and she will now not be in action until the clay-court swing. Meanwhile, Anisimova faces a quick turnaround, with the world No 17 in action on Monday against Emma Raducanu. Raducanu prevailed when the two met at the Australian Open back in January, and will be looking to reach the first WTA 1000 quarter-final of her career. Anisimova will be hoping for her first WTA 1000 quarter-final since claiming the Qatar Open title back in February.
Gauff is one of the most recognisable faces in American sport and that celebrity status adds to the attention that shines on her when she plays on home soil. Yet she struggled to find her best form in an alarmingly error-strewn performance against Linette, with Gauff throwing in 12 double faults and 45 unforced errors in a wayward display. "It wasn't great today," conceded Gauff. "It hasn't been the last few weeks. I'm trying to figure that out. Definitely not happy about it. Just one of those days when I felt awful in everything on the court." Gauff has enjoyed some notable successes since her US Open title defence ended when her serve fell apart in New York last year, with her win in the WTA Finals a perfect end to her 2024 season. Yet the serving issues continue to be a major concern and this was a performance that gifted 33-year-old Linette far too many free points. Linette broke Gauff four times and took care of her own serve, only getting broken twice as she secured a deserved win. "It's a massive achievement for me to beat Coco," said Linette, who is the world No 34. "She's so tough, even on her worse days, she's so, so tough. "I was returning really well and I think she was feeling a little bit of pressure. The key point was keeping my first serve and I'm really glad I was ready to do that." Polish player Linette will now take on Jasmine Paolini in the next round and she leads her head-to-head meetings with the Italian 2-1, including an impressive win at last year's Olympic Games. "She's a very consistent player. Forehand, backhand, serve, she is complete. I have to be aggressive, make less mistakes and move as good as I did today." Gauff will now have time to consider her next move and attempt to rebuild her confidence which has clearly been shaken by her inconsistent form over the last few months.
Emma Raducanu is through to her first WTA 1,000 quarter-final after a blistering straight-set win over 17th seed Amanda Anisimova.
Carlos Alcaraz has a puzzle to solve, Alexandra Eala blazes a trail and Miami Open talking points - this is the second edition of our weekly tennis snapshot.
Kessler retired from the match while trailing 6-1 3-0 after a brief chat with the WTA trainer, but it was clear from the first point to the last that Raducanu had far too much power for her. Powering service returns with brutal brilliance, this display was a reminder of the kind of form Raducanu served up to win the 2021 US Open, with the confidence flowing for the 22-year-old Brit. She offered up words of comfort for her opponent after the match, as the American audience in Miami appreciated her comments for her beaten American rival. "It's never a way any athlete wants to win a match. I wish McCartney a speedy recovery," said Raducanu in her on-court interview. "She's in such good form right now. Playing so well. Playing so aggressive. We both had long last matches and, yeah, it's a tough physical sport. I wish her all the best."