Gauff eliminated on tough day for American players in Miami Open

Photo : Reuters

Coco Gauff lost to Magda Linette in the Miami Open, missing her chance to reach the quarter-finals. It was a hard day for American players, as Danielle Collins, Amanda Anisimova, and Ashlyn Krueger also lost in straight sets. Gauff, who was the third seed, struggled with her serve, making 12 double faults and landing only half of her first serves. She also made many mistakes, which helped Linette, ranked 34th, to win.

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Linette stayed calm even when the crowd cheered for Gauff, who had taken a 4-3 lead in the second set. Linette won the match and celebrated her first victory over a top-three player since 2021. She said that keeping pressure on Gauff’s serve was important for her success. Linette will now play against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who defeated Naomi Osaka in a tough three-set match.

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka played strong tennis, hitting 23 winners and seven aces, to defeat defending champion Collins 6-4, 6-4. Sabalenka will now face Zheng Qinwen, who beat Krueger in two sets. Zheng has never won against Sabalenka in five past matches, making the Belarusian the favorite to win.

Jessica Pegula was the only American woman to advance after she won six straight games to beat Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine 6-2, 6-3. Pegula, the fourth seed, will now play Emma Raducanu, who defeated Anisimova 6-1, 6-3. Raducanu played very well, not losing a single point on her serve in the first set. This will be her first time reaching the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event. She has played Pegula twice before, with each player winning one match. Raducanu said she is happy with her game and is excited to compete again.

In the men’s matches, Alex De Minaur fought hard to defeat young Brazilian player Joao Fonseca 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. The crowd supported Fonseca loudly as he hit powerful shots, but De Minaur stayed focused and won. He said he knew the crowd would be against him, so he just worked hard and fought for every point.

Taylor Fritz, the third seed, gave American fans some happiness by beating Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 6-3. Fritz will next play Adam Walton, who entered the tournament as a lucky loser.

However, other American men did not do well. Frances Tiafoe lost to French player Arthur Fils in a close match 7-6(11), 5-7, 6-2. Reilly Opelka also lost to Czech player Tomas Machac 7-6(1), 6-3. Fils will now play against top seed Alexander Zverev, who defeated Jordan Thompson 7-5, 6-4.