PEERLES KAZAKH

Rybakina beats Mertens to reach quarter-finals

The Kazakh 10th seed defeated her Belgian opponent 6-4 6-3.

In Summary

• She will play Italy's Martina Trevisan in the last eight.

• Rybakina is now unbeaten in 11 matches.

Elena Rybakina in action.
Elena Rybakina in action.
Image: /BBC

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina is through to the Miami Open quarter-finals after beating Elise Mertens in straight sets.

The Kazakh 10th seed defeated her Belgian opponent 6-4 6-3.

Rybakina is now unbeaten in 11 matches, while victory in Miami would see her achieve the rare 'Sunshine Double' following her title win at Indian Wells earlier in March.

She will play Italy's Martina Trevisan in the last eight.

It will mark a first WTA 1000 quarter-final for 25th seed Trevisan after she beat Latvia's former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-3.

Elsewhere, American world number three Jessica Pegula defeated Poland's Magda Linette 6-1 7-5 to set up a quarter-final clash with Russian Anastasia Potapova.

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas progressed to the last 16 of the men's singles with a 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory over Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin in what was his first appearance on court in Miami.

The Greek received a first-round bye before second-round opponent Richard Gasquet withdrew through injury.

Second seed Tsitsipas will face Karen Khachanov next, after the Russian breezed past Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-2 6-4.

Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo - a Miami semi-finalist in 2022 - stunned Canada's world number six Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2 7-5.