Coco Gauff lost to unseeded Magda Linette 6-4, 6-4 on Monday as she missed out on a place in the Miami Open quarterfinals after a tough day for Americans as holder Danielle Collins, Amanda Anisimova and Ashlyn Krueger also went out in straight sets.
Gauff, seeded third, struggled mightily with her serve, committing 12 double faults and putting just half of her first serves into play while unforced errors piled up against her 34th-ranked Polish opponent.
Linette held her nerve as the South Florida crowd came alive after Gauff pulled ahead 4-3 in the second set and the Pole ultimately prevailed to notch her first win over a top-three player since 2021.
Next up for Linette is Italian sixth seed Jasmine Paolini, who beat Japan’s Naomi Osaka 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 earlier on Monday.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka crushed 23 winners including seven aces to overpower defending champion Collins 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals where she will meet Qinwen Zheng, who beat Krueger 6-2, 7-6(3) in their round of 16 match.
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World number one Sabalenka will be a heavy favorite against Zheng, who has never beaten the Belarusian in their five previous career meetings.
Jessica Pegula was left to fly the flag for the American women after she won the final six games of her match to see off Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3.
Pegula, seeded fourth, will meet Briton Emma Raducanu next after the former U.S. Open champion beat Anisimova 6-1, 6-3 in hot and humid conditions.
Emma Raducanu celebrates after winning a point during the Miami Open.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Emma Raducanu celebrates after winning a point during the Miami Open.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Raducanu did not drop a point on serve in the first set against the 17th seed and outmanoeuvred her in a rally on match point to seal the win.
It will be the first quarterfinal of a WTA 1000 event for the 22-year-old Raducanu, who has split her two previous career meetings with Pegula.
“I know it’s going to be a really difficult match but I think I’m playing pretty good tennis,” Raducanu told Tennis Channel. “I’m really happy with the way things are going and more importantly just enjoying finding the competitive spirit again.”
AloJapan.com