World number three Pegula got off to a flying start – she struck seven winners in the opening nine minutes and won the first three games. With only 19 minutes on the clock she was 5-0 up.
The second set was a different story though with Linette grabbing a 5-2 lead but twice she let set point slip on her serve and Pegula went on to win the final five games to secure victory.
The American will face Anastasia Potapova in the last eight after the Russian beat China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to continue her impressive run.
Romanian Sorana Cirstea followed up her quarter-final at Indian Wells by securing another last eight appearance thanks to a 7-6 (7-3, 6-4, win over Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
Italy’s Martina Trevisan beat former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-3.
Miami Open – Tsitsipas wins after long wait in Miami, Halys rise continues
Stefanos Tsitsipas got his Miami Open campaign under way winning in three sets against Cristian Garin
World number three Stefanos Tsitsipas finally got his Miami Open campaign under way on Monday with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Cristian Garin while Argentine Francisco Cerendulo upset fifth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime.
There were no shortage of upsets at Hard Rock Stadium with 12th seeded American Francis Tiafoe beaten by 59th ranked Italian Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets.
France’s Adrian Mannarino beat seventh-seeded Pole Hubert Hurkacz and American qualifier Christopher Eubanks defeated Gregoire Barrere in straight sets.
Tsitsipas arrived in Miami a week ago, had a first round bye and then had a walkover win in the second round when Richard Gasquet pulled out with injury.
“It has almost felt like a vacation this past week, staying in Miami. I glad I got started. It was a difficult match against an opponent who has played good tennis against good opponents in the past,” said the Greek.
Tsitsipas has not be on court much in recent weeks. He withdrew from Acapulco due to a shoulder injury and was beaten in his opening match at Indian Wells this month.
The rest has, however, helped Tsitsipas to recover a little from his injury and although he was not at his sharpest, he did enough to book his place in the fourth round against Karen Khachanov.
Tsitsipas broke at 4-4 in the third set to make sure of his progress against the Chilean, who enjoyed plenty of support from the South Florida crowd.
Khachanov defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-4 to reach the Miami last 16 for the first time.
Cerundolo was knocked out of Indian Wells in straight sets by Canadian Auger-Aliassime two weeks ago, but it was a very different game on the faster courts in South Florida.
The 25th-seeded Argentine was on top from the outset, taking the first set 6-2 and he kept his nerve to triumph 7-5 in the second.
Miami is a happy hunting ground for Cerundolo, who made a surprise run to the semi-finals last year, and he relished the vocal support from his fans in the crowd.
“That was another important win for me, I think I played really good from beginning to end,” he said.
“It is super nice to play here, a lot of Argentinians, a lot of people, so I really enjoyed it. Last year was amazing, so I’m really excited to be in the round of 16 again and to try to keep winning,” he added.
Exciting American Tiafoe was tipped by many observers to go deep in the tournament but he fell 6-3, 6-4 to Sonego in a game disrupted by a second set rain delay of over an hour.
Mannarino, playing inventive tennis, beat Hurkacz 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/0) but will face a tricky test against the 26-year-old Eubanks who will break into the top 100 for the first time in his career thanks to his victory over 65th ranked Barrere, who had beaten Britain’s Cam Norrie in the previous round.
Confident Halys –
Eubanks trailed 6-2 in a second-set tie-break before a rain delay of more than an hour and he won seven of the next eight points for an emotional 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) victory.
French qualifier Quentin Halys hit 15 aces as he beat American Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 to set up a fourth round clash with world number five Daniil Medvedev.
Halys had never won a match at ATP 1000 level prior to this tournament but has beaten Spain’s Pedro Martinez and Australian Alex de Minaur before taking out McDonald.
“I think I’m just the same player, I am just more confident, I know exactly what I have to do on court and I am very confident in my serve,” Halys told AFP.
The 26-year-old said he has sharpened his mental approach to the game, handling better the disappointment of missing out on break opportunities against McDonald in the second set.
“I was still very focused, very positive after those games. Maybe in the past I was negative with myself and I am more positive now, maybe that is the key,” said Halys who is ranked 79th in the world.
Spurs focus on saving season after Conte departure
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy admits the Premier League club have a “fight” on their hands as they scramble to save their season after Antonio Conte’s turbulent reign came to an end.
The Italian’s departure appeared almost inevitable after his extraordinary post-match rant following a 3-3 draw at bottom club Southampton earlier this month.
But Sunday’s divorce by “mutual agreement”, with just 10 Premier League games remaining, is a gamble by the Spurs hierarchy, who are desperate to secure a place in the lucrative Champions League next season.
Tottenham are fourth in the Premier League table but are just two points ahead of Newcastle having played two games more – finishing in the top four guarantees entry into Europe’s elite club competition.
Cristian Stellini, Conte’s assistant at Spurs, will take charge for the rest of the campaign, with former midfielder Ryan Mason working as his deputy.
With the club out of all cup competitions, at least Stellini can afford to put all of his eggs in one basket.
“We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place,” Levy said in a club statement issued late on Sunday.
“We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters.”
The writing appeared to be on the wall for Conte when he tore into his “selfish” players after they let a 3-1 lead slip against Southampton, saying they did not want to play under pressure and criticising the club’s culture.
The 53-year-old’s contract was set to expire at the end of the season and he had remained coy over the prospect of extending his stay in north London.
During his 16-month reign Conte portrayed Tottenham’s problems as beyond his control, subtly hinting at frustration with Levy’s transfer policy without explicitly condemning him in public.
But he was criticised by fans over his perceived conservative tactics, despite having impressive attacking riches at his disposal including Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Trophy drought –
A total of 11 full-time managers have been appointed since Levy succeeded Alan Sugar as chairman in 2001 but the club have won just one trophy in that time – the 2008 League Cup.
Conte was widely regarded as a serial winner when he arrived in November 2021, having won league titles at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan.
In his first season he guided the club to an impressive top-four finish, coming from behind to pip north London rivals Arsenal to Champions League qualification.
He averaged 1.88 points per game in the Premier League with Spurs, the second-highest figure for any manager of the club with a minimum of 38 games in charge.
But he failed to bring silverware to hungry fans of Tottenham, considered one of the “Big Six” in English football.
Names linked with the job include former boss Mauricio Pochettino, who led the club to the 2019 Champions League final, Julian Nagelsmann, sacked by Bayern Munich last week, and former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique.
But for now Stellini is the man in the hot seat, with a clear, if unenviable task on his hands.
The Italian has enjoyed some notable successes in recent weeks while Conte was out of action following gallbladder surgery, overseeing wins against Manchester City and Chelsea.
Tottenham’s next game is at relegation-threatened Everton on April 3, before matches against in-form Brighton and struggling Bournemouth.
But the end of April looks daunting, with successive games against Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Off the field, Levy’s two decades in charge have turned Tottenham into a financial powerhouse, with a gleaming new stadium that is the envy of Europe.
But restless fans want trophies. Levy’s next decision could be his most important yet.
Police scuffle with Peru national football team in Madrid
Spanish police scuffled with Peru national football players in front of their hotel in Madrid and detained a member of the squad, police and Peruvian officials said Tuesday.
The altercation happened when the squad arrived at their hotel in Madrid on Monday night where some 300 fans were waiting to greet them, a police spokeswoman said.
The Peru squad are in Madrid to play a friendly against Morocco on Tuesday night at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium.
“The supporters tried to reach the players and police got in the middle between the fans and the players to avoid a crush,” the spokeswoman said.
“A player hit an officer in the eye. The player was then detained and taken to a police station,” the spokeswoman added without naming the player.
Peru’s foreign ministry said in a tweet that the detained player was Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who was released without being charged.
The Peruvian government has demanded a “clarification” of what happened from the “concerned authorities”, it added.
Videos shared on social media showed officers pushing and shoving the crowd gathered outside the hotel.
Among the players who can be seen in the crowd are Gallese and fellow goalkeeper Jose Carvallo as well as midfielder Yoshimar Yotun.
Some Spanish media said some of the officers failed to recognise the Peruvian players and confused them with supporters.
In a statement, the Peruvian Football Federation said it was “totally supportive and backs” Gallese, who it had “accompanied since the incident occurred”.
“We reiterate that we are respectful of the authorities and the procedures of each country that we visit,” it added.
The Moroccan squad’s team stay in Madrid was marked by the arrest on Sunday of a 27-year-old Spanish employee of the hotel where they are staying for allegedly racially insulting members of the team on social media.
