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• Kvitova defeats Cirstea to join Rybakina in the Miami Open final

  Petra Kvitova is through to her 41st WTA singles final after defeating Sorana Cirstea 7-5 6-4 in Friday's Miami Open semi-final.

  Kvitova, 33, already has 29 singles titles under her belt, including eight at the WTA 1000 level. Despite showing she can still compete with the best – making the final at the 2019 Dubai Championships, the 2020 Qatar Open and the 2022 Cincinnati Open, her last WTA 1000 victory came at the 2018 Madrid Open.

  Against Romania's Cirstea – who came into the contest with nine wins from her past 10 matches – Czech veteran Kvitova was put on the back foot early as her serve was broken to go 5-2 down.

  But she saved two set points, and used that momentum to ignite a run of seven consecutive games, taking the first set and the early break in the second as a result.

  Kvitova did not allow Cirstea to produce a single break point opportunity in the second set, winning 75 per cent (21-of-28) of her total service points to slam the door shut.

  With the win, Kvitova joined Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to ever reach the Miami Open final after turning 33 years old, booking her place against the hottest talent on the tour – Elena Rybakina – in the decider.

  Rybakina has won her past 13 matches, and is looking to become the fifth woman to ever complete the Sunshine Double after eliminating both world number one Iga Swiatek and world number two Aryna Sabalenka to lift the Indian Wells Open title.

   

• Wimbledon lifts ban on Russian and Belarusian players

  Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete at this year's Wimbledon after the All England Club (AELTC) reversed its ban from the previous year.

  Players from those nations were banned from competing in response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the support provided to Russia by Belarus. 

  The lifting of the ban does come with certain conditions, with players only allowed to compete if they do so as a "neutral" athlete and without funding from either state or state-run organisations. 

  Players and support staff will also have to sign neutrality declarations and will be barred from showing any "expressions of support" for the ongoing war in Ukraine.

  "We continue to condemn totally Russia's illegal invasion and our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine," said AELTC chairman Ian Hewitt.

  "This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted.

  "It is our view that, considering all factors, these are the most appropriate arrangements for The Championships for this year. 

  "We are thankful for the government's support as we and our fellow tennis stakeholder bodies have navigated this complex matter and agreed on conditions we believe are workable.

  "If circumstances change materially between now and the commencement of The Championships, we will consider and respond accordingly."

  The AELTC said the move came about after intense discussions with the UK government, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and international stakeholder bodies in tennis.

  It also confirmed the change in policy was a response to the "strong and very disappointing reaction" to last year's ban as well as the organisation having witnessed a year of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing neutrally on the tour circuit.

  The LTA was the only organisation to bar athletes from those nations from competing in their events and was fined $1million by the WTA for the move.

  The reversal of the decision will allow previously banned athletes to compete in the grand slam as well as the other events in the run-up to Wimbledon at Queen's Club and Eastbourne. 

• Rybakina matches Serena Williams aces feat and follows in footsteps of Graf

  Elena Rybakina moved one win away from completing the 'Sunshine Double' and did so on the back of a serving feat last achieved by Serena Williams almost seven years ago.

  Reigning Wimbledon champion Rybakina battled past Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals of the Miami Open, scoring a 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 win to book a clash with Petra Kvitova or Sorana Cirstea in the title match.

  In doing so, Rybakina set up the chance of sealing an Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back double, a feat that only four women have pulled off before: Steffi Graf (1994, 1996), Kim Clijsters (2005), Victoria Azarenka (2016) and Iga Swiatek (2022).

  She also becomes just the sixth woman to appear in the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami in the same year after Monica Seles (1991), Graf (1994), Lindsay Davenport (2000), Martina Hingis (2000) and Maria Sharapova (2012).

  The Williams accomplishment that Rybakina has matched stands as testament to the Kazakhstani player's serving prowess.

  She has served at least 10 aces in each of her five matches in Miami, and Williams at Wimbledon in 2016 was the last player from the WTA Tour to serve 10-plus aces in five matches in a single tournament.

  Rybakina lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January but has put that behind her and enjoyed a stellar March. She beat Swiatek in the Indian Wells semi-finals before toppling Sabalenka in the final, and now another chance of a trophy awaits.

  Discussing the challenge of completing the hard-court US double, Rybakina said: "It's really difficult, and because of different conditions in these two weeks by the matches you could see that it's much more difficult for me here than even in Indian Wells.

  "It's just the finals, still close but the same time far. The Sunshine Double, I try my best, and hopefully I can make it. I didn't expect to be in the final. I knew that it was going to be very tough from the beginning, from the first match. And it was, actually. First two matches was really tough."

  She came through dicey three-setters against Anna Kalinskaya and Paula Badosa before kicking on, winning in straight sets against Elise Mertens, Martina Trevisan and Pegula.

  "Actually, the whole two weeks were really tough," Rybakina said after seeing off Pegula late on Thursday. "I'm happy to be in another final."

  With her runs in Indian Wells and Miami, the Russian-born 23-year-old has already won 13 main-draw matches at WTA 1000 level in 2023, matching her personal best for an entire season, achieved last year.