Bianca Andreescu has revealed she tore ankle ligaments and faces time on the sidelines after her excruciating injury blow at the Miami Open.

Former US Open champion Andreescu, who in 2019 beat Serena Williams in what proved to be the American great's last grand slam final, is set to miss at least the start of the clay-court season.

The Canadian 22-year-old was enjoying an excellent run in the Miami event, knocking out Emma Raducanu, Maria Sakkari and Sofia Kenin en route to the last-16 stage.

She dropped the first set against Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday but was an early break to the good in the second when injury struck, forcing her to abandon that fourth-round match.

Andreescu howled in pain on the court after suffering the ankle blow and needed to be taken away in a wheelchair.

She joked the day after: "Woke up with a brace on my foot… anyone know what happened?"

Now she knows exactly what happened, and the news is not particularly good.

Andreescu posted on Twitter: "Results show that I've torn 2 ligaments in my left ankle. It's tough to say exactly how long it will take, but let's just say it could've been much worse!!

"I'm going to take it day by day, and I am optimistic that with the right work, rehab, and preparation, I'll be back on court soon. Rehab process has already started and will continue to give updates."

Andreescu has suffered a string of injuries since becoming a teenage grand slam winner. She sits 31st in the WTA rankings, having been as high as number four in October 2019.

Miami marks the end of a hardcourt swing on the tour, with clay set to take over for two months, starting in Charleston at a WTA 500 event next week.

Italian 10th seed Jannik Sinner downed Emil Ruusuvuori to secure his berth in the Miami Open semi-finals along with bringing up his 20th win of the season on Wednesday.

Sinner, who dropped only one point on first serve, won 6-3 6-1 over the Finn in one hour and 16 minutes.

The 21-year-old Italian will face either top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or 2022 Indian Wells winner Taylor Fritz in the last four. Sinner lost to Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-finals a fortnight ago.

Alcaraz and Fritz's Miami quarter-final was postponed to Thursday with persistent rain forcing the evening session in Miami to be cancelled.

The other quarter-finals between 14th seed Karen Khachanov and 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo along with fourth seed Daniil Medvedev and qualifier Christophr Eubanks were also re-scheduled for Thursday.

The Sinner-Ruusuvuori clash was also impacted by a two-hour rain delay, but the Italian prevailed to maintain his perfect record in Miami, having not dropped a set.

"We both played well today but I won the important points," Sinner said. "It's never easy when you are up and you get interrupted, but I came back and played well."

Sinner's run to the Miami semi-finals has seen him drop the fewest games (23) since Rafael Nadal (21) and Novak Djokovic (23) in 2014.

The Italian became the seventh male to reach the semi-finals at both Indian Wells and Miami in a single year before turning 22, joining an elite list in Andre Agassi (1990), Jim Courier (1991), Djokovic (2007), Andy Murray (2007 and 2009), Nadal (2008) and Alcaraz (2022).

Sinner's 2023 record is now 20-4, bettered only by Medvedev (26-3) and Cameron Norrie (21-5).

World number 74 Sorana Cirstea produced a major shock in the Miami Open quarter-finals after toppling 2023 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Romanian triumphed 6-4 6-4 over the in-form Belarusian to progress to her first WTA-1000 semi-final for a decade, dating back to the 2013 Canadian Open in Toronto.

World number two Sabalenka came into the contest as the highest remaining seed after Iga Swiatek's withdrawal, having won a tour-leading 20 matches this season.

But Cirstea blew Sabalenka away in one hour and 27 minutes, maintaining her fine run in Miami where she has not dropped a set in five matches.

Sabalenka hit more winners than Cirstea (21-16) but the Romanian was more polished, committing only nine unforced errors compared to the Australian Open winner's 21.

Cirstea broke Sabalenka in the first game of each set and showed resolve when she served out victory from 15-40 down.

"I think I'm a bit speechless," Cirstea said after the match. "I came out knowing that it's going to be a really tough match. Aryna hits so hard, so I knew I had to hold my ground, and I'm very, very happy with my performance today."

Cirstea's list of scalps includes fifth seed Caroline Garcia, former top 20 player Karolina Muchova and now Sabalenka.

The Romanian also reached the quarter-finals at the Indian Wells Open a fortnight ago, losing to Swiatek in the last eight.

Cirstea will need to wait to learn her semi-final opponent with the quarter-final between 15th seed Petra Kvitova and 18th Ekaterina Alexandrova re-scheduled to Thursday after the evening session was cancelled due to persistent rain.

Carlos Alcaraz does not disagree with Novak Djokovic's assertion of being the best player in the world, as the Spaniard outlined his hope of facing the 22-time major winner at full fitness.

Alcaraz has played Djokovic once before, overcoming the Serbian en route to triumphing at last year's Madrid Open.

The teenager's success in Madrid marked his fifth tour-level title, and his second at an ATP 1000 event.

Earlier in March, Alcaraz claimed his third ATP 1000 title with victory at the Indian Wells Open, seeing the 19-year-old leapfrog Djokovic – who has been unable to compete in the United States due to his COVID-19 vaccination status – back to the top of the world rankings.

Djokovic claimed in interview with The National in February that he was still the best player in the world when at 100 per cent fitness.

Alcaraz, for his part, shares that view.

"Well, it is tough one, but, I have to play against Novak when he's at 100 per cent," Alcaraz told reporters after beating Tommy Paul at the Miami Open, where he is defending champion.

"I would say in Madrid he played really, really well. So it was close. But I agree with him. When he's 100 per cent, probably the best player in the world.

"What Novak has achieved, the level of Novak for example in Australia was unbelievable, really high.

"So as I said before, I really want to play against Novak when he's 100 per cent and I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it. That's all I can say right now."

Alcaraz remains on course for the Sunshine Double – winning both the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open in the same season.

"I try not to think about that but it's difficult," he said. "You know, it's something that I really want. I want to be part of the few players that won the Sunshine Double.

"So for me, would be great to achieve that, but it's something that I try not think about and try to think about day by day, match by match, and that's all. 

"But of course it could be great to be part of that group of few players."

Eleven players, including Djokovic – on four occasions – have won the Sunshine Double, with WTA number one Iga Swiatek the latest to achieve the feat last season.

Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was bundled out of the Miami Open in straight sets during Tuesday's fourth round by 2022 US Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov.

The Russian 14th seed prevailed 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 over Tsitsipas in one hour and 34 minutes, powering 25 winners and making only nine unforced errors, compared to the Greek's 14.

Khachanov's triumph ended a winless 0-6 head-to-head record against Tsitsipas, while it also snapped his own 23-match losing streak against top-10 opponents.

The Russian, who also made this year's Australian Open semi-finals, has qualified for four of his six tour-level events this year.

Khachanov will take on 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo in the quarter-finals, with the Argentinian fighting back to get past Lorenzo Sonego 3-6 6-3 6-2 in just over two hours.

Defending champion and top seed Carlos Alcaraz had less trouble against Tommy Paul, cruising into the quarter-finals with a 6-4 6-4 victory.

Alcaraz won the winners' count 24-9, setting up a quarter-final clash with ninth seed Taylor Fritz, as the Spanish 19-year-old chases a rare Sunshine Double, having won last week's Indian Wells Open.

Fritz progressed after getting past seventh seed Holger Rune 6-3 6-4 in 86 minutes, sending down eight aces and 22 winners for the match.

Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev played late into the evening after a lengthy rain delay in Miami, but made light work of Quinten Halys 6-4 6-2, triumphing just past 1:30am local time.

Medvedev, who is into his third straight Miami quarter-final, will face American qualifier Christopher Eubanks in the last eight after he got past Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5) in another rain-delayed contest.

Italian 10th seed Jannik Sinner knocked off sixth seed Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-4, advancing to face Emil Ruusuvuori after he beat Botic van de Zandschulp 4-6 6-4 7-5.

Elena Rybakina is now two wins away from completing the rare 'Sunshine Double' after defeating Martina Trevisan 6-3 6-0 to reach the Miami Open semi-finals on Tuesday.

Only four women have ever claimed the Sunshine Double – which requires winning both the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open. Steffi Graf did it in both 1994 and 1996, Kim Clijsters did it in 2005, Victoria Azarenka accomplished the feat in 2016 and current world number one Iga Swiatek did it just 12 months ago.

Rybakina knocked off Swiatek and world number two Aryna Sabalenka in consecutive matches en route to the Indian Wells title, and she has now extended her winning streak to 12 with Tuesday's victory. Against Trevisan, Rybakina served another 10 aces compared to zero from the Italian.

In her fourth-round match the Kazakhstan representative became the first WTA player this season to post three consecutive matches with at least 10 aces, and with another she became the first woman since Serena Williams at the 2020 US Open to do so in four consecutive matches at the same tournament.

She needed just 27 minutes to race through the second set, and in the process she booked a semi-final against third seed Jessica Pegula.

America's top hope, Pegula had to come from behind against Russia's Anastasia Potapova in the 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) result, saving two match points in the deciding set to force the pivotal tiebreaker.

The match was delayed for hours due to persistent rain, and the contest lasted two hours and 38 minutes, meaning they did not finish up on court until nearly 1:30am local time.

While consistently making it deep into major tournaments, Pegula only has two WTA singles titles to her name, and only once since the end of 2019. 

With one more win she can book her spot in the final, and a chance to claim her second WTA 1000 crown after breaking through at the 2022 Guadalajara Open.

Bianca Andreescu said the ankle injury she suffered at the Miami Open caused "the worst pain I've ever felt" as the former US Open winner waited to learn the extent of the damage sustained.

The Canadian 22-year-old was enjoying an excellent run in the tournament, knocking out Emma Raducanu, Maria Sakkari and Sofia Kenin en route to the last-16 stage.

She dropped the first set against Ekaterina Alexandrova but was an early break to the good in the second when injury struck, forcing her to abandon that fourth-round match.

Andreescu was so badly hurt she needed to be taken off court in a wheelchair, bringing an early end to Monday's match.

It remains to be seen how serious Andreescu's injury proves to be, and whether she faces a long lay-off.

She indicated on Tuesday that early tests had taken place and managed to make light of the situation.

In a post on Twitter, she wrote: "Woke up with a brace on my foot… anyone know what happened?"

"On a serious note tho… that was the worst pain I've ever felt… praying for nothing serious.

"Still waiting on official results. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and kind words, doesn't go unnoticed."

Andreescu won the US Open in 2019 and has suffered a string of injuries since, hampering her progress. She sits 31st in the WTA rankings, having been as high as number four in October 2019.

Thomas Bach denied the International Olympic Committee is biding its time over deciding whether Russia and Belarus athletes can compete at Paris 2024 amounted to "kicking it down the road".

IOC president Bach spoke on Tuesday at a press conference after interim recommendations were issued to international federations and organisers of events regarding the involvement of Russians and Belarusians in events while war in Ukraine continues.

The Olympic body urged federations to exclude any athletes or support personnel "who actively support the war", along with anybody "contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies", and said teams from either country should not be allowed to compete in international sport for now.

However, in a statement, the IOC said: "Sports organisations must have the sole responsibility to decide which athletes can take part in international competitions based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports."

There is a clear possibility of Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete as neutrals at the Paris Olympics next year, although Bach stressed there has been no decision taken on that matter, explaining it has yet to be discussed by the IOC executive board.

Bach said the IOC was going along with a United Nations position, and when asked whether Olympic chiefs were simply waiting for the war to end, and holding fire on direct action until then, he refuted the contention.

"We are not kicking it down the road, and we are not waiting," Bach said. "I guess we all would like the war to end now, and this is what we are calling for, but as you can see for all the reasons we are giving the conditions are not related to the development of the war, they are related to the respect of the Olympic charter and the Olympic values, and there we have to address these questions whether somebody is actively supporting the war in whichever way."

Bach said a decision regarding next year's Olympics would be made "at the appropriate time", without indicating when that might be, saying it was important to monitor the latest recommendations "for as long as possible" before taking "an informed decision".

He said there was no timeline because "nobody knows what's happening tomorrow or in one week or in nine months, so we have just to monitor and then find the appropriate time".

Bach knows there is unease in some quarters about the IOC not taking a firm decision.

When asked about Russia being happy its athletes were being able to compete, and Ukraine being unhappy with the situation, Bach said: "We have been accused by the Russian side of being agents of the United States, and we have been accused by Ukrainian side of being promoters of the war, so we appear to be somewhere in the middle."

Rafael Nadal has cast doubt on a possible return at next month's Monte Carlo Masters after revealing he is still unsure when he will be ready to make his comeback.

The 22-time grand slam champion has been struggling with a left hip issue that contributed to his second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.

Nadal pulled out of hard-court contests at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open as he continued to recover from the problem.

Speaking two weeks ago, Monte Carlo Masters director David Massey said Nadal was the first player to register for this year's Masters 1000 event, which begins on April 8.

The tournament's official Twitter account more recently suggested Nadal will "definitely" take part.

However, Nadal – who has slipped out of the world's top 10 men's tennis rankings for the first time in almost 18 years – denied that is the case.

"I don't know who gets this information," he is quoted as saying by Spanish publication Marca.

"Obviously if it were true, I would confirm it, but unfortunately I can't. I'm following my course and I don't know when I'll play again, that's the truth.

"I'm in a phase of increasing work. If I knew when I was going to return, I would say so, but I don't know.

"I can't confirm that I will play in Monte Carlo. Things are seen day by day. I prefer to say things when I really know them."

The Monte Carlo Masters kicks off the clay-court season ahead of events in Madrid and Rome, with the French Open – Nadal's favourite event – now just two months away.

Nadal has won the Monte Carlo Masters a record 11 times, though his most recent triumph came in 2018 with victory over Kei Nishikori in the final. 

Reigning Wimbledon and Indian Wells Open champion Elena Rybakina extended her winning streak to 11 matches with Monday's 6-4 6-3 victory over Elise Mertens in the Miami Open fourth round.

Rybakina, 23, has been one of the most in-form talents in the sport this year, with her only two losses since the start of the Australian Open coming in three-setters against Aryna Sabalenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

The Kazakhstan representative produced 10 aces against Mertens on her way into the quarter-finals, becoming the first player this WTA season to finish with at least 10 aces in three consecutive matches.

She will look to keep her sparkling form alive when she meets Martina Trevisan for a spot in the semi-finals, after the Italian got the better of Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-3.

Sabalenka showed why she is the top remaining seed after Iga Swiatek's withdrawal, beating 16th seed Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 6-2. Krejcikova was one of two players this season to beat Sabalenka – with Rybakina the other – and by avenging that defeat the Belarusian improved her record in 2023 to 20-2.

America's top hope Jessica Pegula needed only 79 minutes to eliminate Magda Linette 6-1 7-5, winning the first five games of the match to set the tone early, and she will now meet Russia's Anastasia Potapova in the quarters.

Potapova finished with just one ace compared to Qinwen Zheng's nine, but she showed enough guile to overcome the Chinese international's power advantage.

Romania's Sorana Cirstea kept her great run going with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 triumph over Marketa Vondrousova, making it eight wins from her past nine matches, and Bianca Andreescu was forced to retire through injury while down a set 7-6 (7-0) 0-2 against Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Three of the top seeds in the Miami Open field were eliminated on Monday as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz and Frances Tiafoe were all sent packing.

Fifth seed Auger-Aliassime was taken out 6-2 7-5 in one of the biggest wins of Francisco Cerundolo's career, with the Argentine avenging recent losses to the Canadian at both the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Open.

Adrian Mannarino's 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-0) victory over eighth seed Hurkacz was arguably an even bigger upset, as it snapped his streak of nine consecutive losses against top-10 opponents at Masters 1000 events.

The 34-year-old Frenchman absorbed 20 aces from Hurkacz and still came out on top, limiting his own unforced errors to 13 for the match.

A third upset of the day saw unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego play a near faultless match to eliminate 12th seed Tiafoe, finishing the contest with 22 winners and only two unforced errors, while not facing a single break point in the brief 68-minute battle.

There was no drama for Daniil Medvedev as the fourth seed received a walkover against Alex Molcan, and he will face France's Quentin Halys in the fourth round after his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 triumph over Mackenzie McDonald.

Two seed Stefanos Tsitsipas almost joined the long list of seeded victims, but he prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-4 against Christian Garin in the day's only three-setter.

The Greek star will meet Russian 14th seed Karen Khachanov in the fourth round after his comfortable 6-2 6-4 result over Jiri Lehecka, while unseeded American Christopher Eubanks finished the day's play with a 6-3 7-6 (9-7) defeat of Gregoire Barrere.

Top seed and reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz dished out a bagel as he continued his outstanding form with a straight-sets victory over Dusan Lajovic to ease into the Miami Open fourth round on Sunday.

Alcaraz, who triumphed at last week's Indian Wells Open, beat the 76th-ranked Serbian 6-0 7-6 (7-5) in one hour and 32 minutes.

The 19-year-old Spaniard hit 26 winners compared to Lajovic's eight, while Alcaraz also sent down three aces on a 75 per cent first serve percentage.

Alcaraz won the first frame to love in 32 minutes, registering his fourth career bagel at ATP Masters 1000 level, equaling the most by a teenager alongside Rafael Nadal.

The world number one will face 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Tommy Paul in the fourth round after the American got past 20th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 7-5.

Third seed and 2022 Miami Open finalist Casper Ruud blew a first-set lead to lose 3-6 6-4 6-4 to Botic Van De Zandschulp.

The Dutchman improved his head-to-head record against Ruud to 3-1 with his first-ever top five win, with the Norwegian left to lament converting only two of 15 break points.

Ninth seed Taylor Fritz progressed into the fourth round with a 6-4 6-4 win over Denis Shapovalov, improving his head-to-head record against the Canadian to 4-5. Fritz committed only eight unforced errors and did not face one break point.

Jannik Sinner maintained his excellent hard-court form with his 18th win this season on the surface, as he defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 28 minutes. The Italian 10th seed will be Andrey Rublev in the next round.

Sixth seed Rublev needed less than an hour to get past Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1 6-2, while compatriot Daniil Medvedev advanced via a walkover against Alex Molcan due to a right hip injury.

Seventh seed Holger Rune cruised past Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-2, while Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori got past Taro Daniel 6-3 7-6 (7-3).

Aryna Sabalenka needed just 68 minutes to dispatch Marie Bouzkova 6-1 6-2 in Sunday's third round of the Miami Open.

Sabalenka hit 26 winners in the victory and now has 250 at WTA 1000 level for the season, representing one of only two female players with more than 200 in 2023.

The world number two, who is the top seed in the tournament after Iga Swiatek's withdrawal, has now won 19 of her past 21 matches, with her only losses in that span to Elena Rybakina and Barbora Krejcikova.

She will get the chance to avenge that loss to Krejcikova next after the Czech Republic representative knocked out hometown star Madison Keys 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.

Former French Open winner Krejcikova registered her 10th WTA 1000 level win against Keys, becoming only the second player to achieve that this season.

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin fell 6-4 6-4 to Canada's Bianca Andreescu, who continued her strong run after previously knocking out seventh seed Maria Sakkari and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

In a serve-dominated match, 2019 US Open champion Andreescu sent down seven aces, maintaining 70 per cent first serve percentage.

Ninth seed and former Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic was eliminated 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 by 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who will take on Andreescu in the next round.

Marketa Vondrousova won her all-Czech matchup against 17th seed Karolina Pliskova, and their compatriot Petra Kvitova enjoyed a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) triumph over recent Monterrey Open champion Donna Vekic.

Romania's Sorana Cirstea made it seven wins from her past eight matches with a 7-5 6-1 result over Karolina Muchova, having knocked off fifth seed Caroline Garcia in the second round.

Varvara Gracheva ensured a strong day for the Russians with a 6-1 6-2 demolition of Magdalena Frech in a battle of two unseeded players.

Last week's Indian Wells Open champion Elena Rybakina has extended her winning streak to 10 matches after defeating Paula Badosa 3-6 7-5 6-3 in Saturday's Miami Open third round.

Kazakhstan's Rybakina, who is also the reigning Wimbledon Champion and Australian Open finalist, got the better of Badosa for the second time during her current run, also eliminating her from Indian Wells. 

The 23-year-old has to be considered one of the favourites to go all the way, having knocked off world number one Iga Swiatek and world number two Aryna Sabalenka to lift the trophy in California.

Rybakina will meet Belgium's Elise Mertens in the fourth round after she beat Croatia's Petra Martic 6-4 6-3.

Meanwhile, the biggest upset of the day was delivered by Russia's Anastasia Potapova, bouncing sixth seed Coco Gauff 6-7 (8-10) 7-5 6-2.

Potapova, who has never won a tournament above the WTA 250 level, will face China's Zheng Qinwen for a spot in the quarter-finals after her three-hour 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 triumph over Liudmila Samsonova.

Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, the 24th seed, eliminated Brazilian 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2 4-6 6-3, while 20th seed Magda Linette of Poland knocked out Belarusian 14th seed Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-4.

Unseeded American Clare Liu went down 4-6 7-5 6-4 against Italy's Martina Trevisan, but third seed Jessica Pegula will continue to fly the flag for the United States after advancing 6-1 7-6 (7-0) in her all-American showdown with Danielle Collins.

Hubert Hurkacz prevailed 6-7 (10-12) 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (8-6) in a thrilling three-and-a-half hour battle against Thanasi Kokkinakis during Saturday's second round of the Miami Open.

It was Hurkacz's first match of the tournament after the eighth seed received a bye through the first round, and he came up against a match-fit Kokkinakis after the Australian went three sets in his opening victory.

The world number nine had to save five Kokkinakis match points before sealing the win with his first chance, three hours and 34 minutes after the contest began.

Kokkinakis was not the only Australian on the day to go down in a gruelling three-setter as 15th seed Alex De Minaur fell 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-8) to Quentin Halys in three hours and 20 minutes.

It was far smoother sailing for fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in his 6-1 6-2 triumph over Roberto Carballes Baena, giving the Russian his first win since his 19-match unbeaten streak was ended at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells Open final.

The biggest upset of the day came from France's Gregoire Barrere as he eliminated 11th seed Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-2, before Adrian Mannarino ensured a great day for the French contingent with a 6-4 3-6 6-1 result against Ben Shelton in the late window.

Fifth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime needed a pair of tiebreakers to dispatch Brazil's Thiago Monteiro 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-8), while big-serving 19th seed Matteo Berrettini came out on the wrong side of some tiebreakers in his 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-5) loss to Mackenzie McDonald.

The skid from 18th seed Lorenzo Musetti continued as the 21-year-old went down 6-4 6-4 to Jiri Lehecka, giving the Italian seven losses from his past eight matches.

Karen Khachanov fought off the challenge of recent Chile Open finalist Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1 3-6 6-3, and second seed Stefanos Tsisipas received a walkover as Richard Gasquet withdrew.