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.

After years of patchwork quarterback play, the Indianapolis Colts are considering acquiring Lamar Jackson to solve their woes under center.

Just hours after Jackson announced that he had asked the Baltimore Ravens to trade him, the Colts became the first franchise to declare their intentions to look into acquiring the former league MVP.

"Anytime a special player is available, which [Jackson] is, you've got to do the work," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Monday at the NFL's annual league meeting in Phoenix.

"I'm not going to get into deep discussions on where it's at or what we're doing or what we might do," Ballard said. "But what I'll tell you is he's a really good player, really special player. But you never know how any of this will work out.

"I think anytime at that position we have a chance to acquire a guy, you've got to do your work on it to see if it's doable," Ballard said. "Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not.

"If you don't feel like you have one that can absolutely change the franchise in terms of leading you every year, I think you're always going to feel some pressure to get that player right."

Since Andrew Luck’s surprising retirement in 2019, the Colts have shuffled through a list of stop-gap options at quarterback, including Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan.

Jackson confirmed suspicions that his relationship with the Ravens has been fractured Monday when he announced in a statement on Twitter that he had requested a trade on March 2.

On March 7, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, meaning that other teams could sign Jackson to an offer sheet in exchange for two first-round draft picks.

Teams could offer more than two first-rounders to the Ravens as a part of any potential blockbuster trade.

Ballard said his team will do their "due diligence" to bring an answer at quarterback to the Colts – who own the fourth overall selection in next month’s draft – and had previously said the team would consider trading up for the right quarterback.

On Monday, Ballard made the case for drafting a quarterback outside the first round.

"What I would tell you is that there's good players in this draft at every level," Ballard said. "Everybody just talks about the top four [quarterbacks], but there's some more guys out there that are pretty good players.

"And I think history's shown – especially in the last few years with [Philadelphia Eagles quarterback] Jalen [Hurts] being one and [San Francisco 49ers’] Brock Purdy coming in and playing really well – they come at every level. So, we'll do our work on every one of them."

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said the team plans on engaging in extension discussions with quarterback Jalen Hurts in the near future and is confident an agreement can be reached before the 2022 NFL MVP runner-up hits free agency.

Speaking at the NFL annual league meeting in Phoenix on Monday, Roseman confirmed that extending Hurts will be the Eagles' highest priority in the coming months.

"It's no secret that sometime relatively soon we want to extend our quarterback," Roseman stated. "We want him here long-term. It's going to be a priority for us to extend him.

"You have to navigate the offseason understanding that we're not going to lose our franchise quarterback with one year left on his deal."

Hurts, who led the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII by throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns during a breakout 2022 campaign, is entering the final season on the four-year contract he signed as a rookie in 2020.

The second team All-Pro added 760 rushing yards and led all quarterbacks with 13 rushing touchdowns while finishing second to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes in MVP voting.

Hurts will be due for a substantial raise from the $4.2million he is set to make this season, and Roseman acknowledged a new deal will have a profound impact on the Eagles' roster in 2024 and beyond.

"Our whole kind of roster-building is going to turn a little bit here, from a quarterback on a rookie deal towards hopefully a quarterback on a long-term deal," Roseman said.

"It's going to mean 2024 is going to look different, we're not going to have a quarterback on a rookie deal. Not that we're talking about [franchise] tags or anything like that, that's not our goal here, but we're going into it with our eyes open and understanding that we've got to kind of flip [the roster]."

An extension for Hurts is expected to command an average annual value of at least $40m while making him among the top 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. And with two other premier quarterbacks from the 2020 draft – Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert – in line to receive lucrative new deals relatively soon, the Eagles have significant incentive to work something out as soon as possible.

A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Hurts took over as Philadelphia's starting quarterback in 2021 and has gone 22-8 since over the past two seasons. Only Mahomes (26-8) has a higher winning percentage among quarterbacks who made at least 15 starts during that span.

Didier Deschamps was not surprised by Mike Maignan's superb save in France's 1-0 win over Republic of Ireland, which he described as "worth a goal".

Milan goalkeeper Maignan preserved France's victory in the Euro 2024 qualifier with a sensational late stop, somehow clawing away Nathan Collins' goal-bound header.

That save followed him keeping out a penalty in France's 4-0 win over the Netherlands in their opening Group B clash, with Maignan quickly justifying his promotion to France's number one between the posts following Hugo Lloris' international retirement.

Having seen his side claim six points from two games, Deschamps was left with plenty to smile about as he reflected on their excellent start, including the shot-stopping prowess of Maignan.

"There is a lot of positive with six points, five goals and none conceded," said Deschamps in quotes reported by L'Equipe. 

"The calendar had not given us gifts with the Netherlands and Ireland. We were less radiant today than Friday. We had fewer opportunities but we have to win these matches.

"The team showed a very good state of mind and character. There is Mike's stop. It's worth a goal. We were able to answer and being less brilliant than in the first game. Ireland defended well. I am happy and proud of this group against two opponents like that. It's really good to have already taken these six points."

Of Maignan's save, he added: "It's an exceptional stop. But I'm not surprised. I know what he is capable of doing. Hugo was also capable of such stops of his kind. Mike has all the qualities, the wingspan and the mind. He is a leader.

"There was already the penalty stopped against the Netherlands. But this stop is even more expensive. I had no doubts and uncertainties about the succession. When Mike is in full possession of his means, he is of a very high level."

Prior to Maignan's save, Benjamin Pavard scored what proved the decisive with a rasping strike from outside the area that flew in off the crossbar.

Pavard's goal marked his first appearance for France since their opening game of the 2022 World Cup against Australia.

"He had a very complicated match at the beginning of the World Cup," Deschamps said of Pavard. 

"He had been a starter in previous years. He played the first game and Jules [Kounde] took his place.

"After this goal, I told him that I was very happy for him. Despite his personal disappointment, he has always kept the state of mind.

"He enjoyed his playing time in his club. It's very good for him and especially for the group."

The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Detroit Pistons on Monday without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and fellow All-Star Jrue Holiday.

Sitting only 1.5 games clear of the Boston Celtics (52-23) in the race for the top seed in the East, and the best record in the league, the Bucks (53-21) will also welcome back veteran point guard Goran Dragic on a minutes restriction after six weeks on the sidelines because of a left-knee problem.

As well as the top seed, Milwaukee also have a chance to match or beat their best record in the Antetokounmpo era, but they will need to go undefeated in their last eight games to eclipse the 60-22 mark from the 2018-19 campaign. They can tie it by going 7-1.

Antetokounmpo is viewed as an outside chance to swoop in and claim the MVP award ahead of reigning back-to-back winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, and he is not the only Bucks player trending towards some silverware.

Holiday will almost assuredly be selected to his fifth NBA All-Defensive team, where he will be joined by team-mate and Defensive Player of the Year favourite Brook Lopez, who is averaging a career-high 2.5 blocks per game in his 15th season.

Ronald Koeman acknowledged the Netherlands' "level has to go up" after their meagre 3-0 victory over Gibraltar in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Nathan Ake scored twice while Memphis Depay was also on target at De Kuip as Koeman claimed the first win of his second spell in charge, which began with a humbling 4-0 defeat against France three days earlier.

The Oranje's three goals came despite recording 50 shots and having 101 touches in the opposition box - more than they have managed in any other match since Opta began collecting this data in August 2013.

They also registered a remarkable 5.04 expected goals (xG), and Koeman was disappointed by his side's general lacking of a clinical edge.

"I didn't see enough goals tonight," he told NOS. "The opponent obviously didn't co-operate, but we were way too sloppy at times.

"From the beginning, we were inaccurate, and we didn't have the form to create big, good chances. Okay, there was a lot of blocking, but with more sharpness, we score much more often.

"The game and result against France was not good. Now we win, but that makes sense. But overall, it was far too little.

"Aspects such as positional play, ball circulation, taking the right positions - as a winger or defender - really needs to be improved. The football and level has to go up."

Ake's double was the undoubted highlight for the hosts, the defender recording more shot involvements than any other player (nine shots, seven chances created), with only Depay registering more in a single Netherlands match since Opta began collecting the data.

And the Manchester City man drew positives from the fact he and his team-mates were able to conjure as many opportunities as they did.

"Of course, the main aim was to win the match and, besides that, we wanted to score as many goals as possible. Obviously, that didn't work out," Ake added. 

"That we created so many chances was good, but maybe we should have been calmer in how we tried to convert them.

"It doesn't happen very often that I score twice in one game. But it was very crowded where our forwards were, so maybe that created a little more space for the rest of us. At some point, I was even considering the possibility of a hat-trick, but it wasn't to be."

Ronald Koeman claimed the first win of his second spell in charge of the Netherlands as the Oranje dispatched 10-man Gibraltar 3-0.

Nathan Ake scored twice in a game that saw the Netherlands have 50 attempts without allowing one at the other end, as Koeman's team got up and running in Euro 2024 qualifying following last week's heavy defeat to France.

Ake's second-half double came after Memphis Depay had put the Dutch ahead against the Group B minnows in Rotterdam on Monday.

It marked a 19th straight defeat in Euro qualifying for Gibraltar, who had Liam Walker sent off for a rash challenge on Dutch debutant Mats Wieffer.

In need of a response following their hammering in Paris, the Netherlands had control from the off, and the lead came in the 23rd minute.

Following a patient move, Denzel Dumfries – back from suspension – supplied an inviting cross that Depay glanced in.

Georginio Wijnaldum volleyed just over while Wout Weghorst twice went close – spurning a great chance when he shot wide from eight yards out before Dayle Coleing produced a smart reflex save to deny the Manchester United striker.

The Dutch doubled their lead five minutes after the break, Dumfries helping a deep cross back into the centre for Ake to head home.

Gibraltar were reduced to 10 men less than 60 seconds later. Walker caught Wieffer with a dangerous challenge, leaving referee Morten Krogh with little choice but to brandish a straight red.

Coleing denied Donyell Malen and Cody Gakpo while Roy Chipolina blocked Weghorst on the line, but Ake's deflected strike eight minutes from time added gloss to an easy victory.

Benjamin Pavard produced another stunning long-range strike for France as they beat Republic of Ireland 1-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying.

France crushed Netherlands 4-0 in their opening qualifier last week but needed a moment of brilliance from Pavard to seal a hard-fought win in Dublin.

Pavard famously scored a sublime goal in France's 4-2 win over Argentina back in 2018 in a last-16 win during their victorious World Cup campaign in Russia.

This effort carries less significance but was one for the Bayern Munich full-back to remember as he made it six points from two games for France in Group B.

An uneventful first half produced just one shot on target, but the second of the match in the 50th minute sent the travelling France fans into raptures.

Josh Cullen's slack pass was intercepted by Pavard, who unleashed a fierce right-footed drive that flew past the helpless Gavin Bazunu and in off the underside of the crossbar.

Ireland never threatened a response and were grateful to Bazunu for keeping the score 1-0 when he produced a diving save to deny Moussa Diaby.

Bazunu got down low to his left to frustrate Adrien Rabiot as France continued to push to put the game beyond doubt, and their failure to find a second would have proved costly had Mike Maignan not made a fantastic late stop to keep out Nathan Collins' header.

New York Jets coach Robert Saleh is confident the team will sign Aaron Rodgers.

The veteran quarterback confirmed earlier in March that he wished to leave the Green Bay Packers to join the Jets.

However, the teams have so far been unable to reach an agreement.

Saleh, however, is not concerned. 

"I'm not hitting the panic button," Saleh said while in attendance at the NFL's annual league meeting.

"I'm confident that things are going to work out.

"You guys know me. I'm a very positive person and optimistic, so I'm confident that things will go the way we're hoping. But at the same time, it's not going to eat at me."

Indeed, Saleh says the Jets are willing to play the long game when it comes to Rodgers.

"If there's a great rapport with the coordinator, there's really no urgency," Saleh said.

"The quarterback, if he understands the system, if the quarterback knows it, it's just a matter of just refining skills and doing all that stuff. So, there's no hurry."

Saleh also confirmed that Odell Beckham Jr, who remains a free agent, is a target.

"He's been a fantastic receiver in this league," Saleh said of Beckham Jr.

"Everything you hear about him, he's a phenomenal person. That's something you're always going to look over, turn over every stone, cross your t's, dot your i's, just make sure you're not missing an opportunity to add a great player, and there's no guarantee anything will happen."

Luka Doncic has been cleared to face the Indiana Pacers after the Dallas Mavericks star's suspension was overturned by the NBA.

Doncic received his 16th technical foul of the season during the Mavericks' 110-104 defeat against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, after directing a profanity at an official following a correct no-call.

Dallas' fourth successive loss left them 11th in the Western Conference at 36-39, but their hopes of ending that streak against Indiana have been boosted after the NBA confirmed they had rescinded the point guard's infringement.

Doncic has been at the centre of controversy recently.

The Slovakia international revealed his frustrations at the Mavericks' poor form, while he was fined $35,000 after making "an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture" towards an official during their defeat to the Golden State Warriors.

Joel Embiid will not be playing for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Denver Nuggets, according to reports.

Monday's game had been billed as a showdown between two of the leading candidates in the NBA's MVP race.

However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Sixers are ruling out Embiid due to a calf issue.

According to Wojnarowski, Embiid attempted to train on Monday but the Sixers, who are already guaranteed a playoff berth, felt it was best to leave him out as a precaution.

The Sixers will hope James Harden manages to overcome an Achilles tendon problem. The 33-year-old has missed the last three games but participated in a shoot-around earlier on Monday.

Philadelphia sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 49-25 record, while the Nuggets top the West with 50 wins.

Domenico Tedesco does not believe he has anything to prove on his return to Germany with new side Belgium after previously being sacked by RB Leipzig and Schalke.

Leipzig parted company with Tedesco in September 2022, nine months after he took up the position, despite winning the DFB-Pokal in the 2021-22 campaign.

The 37-year-old was also ousted by Schalke in March 2019, a year on from guiding the club to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga.

But ahead of Belgium's friendly with Germany in Cologne on Tuesday, Tedesco insists he is content with what he achieved across his two spells in the country where he grew up.

"I love my job and I am happy with what I have already achieved," he said at Monday's pre-match press conference. 

"I always want to win, but I feel I have nothing to prove to the Germans. The coach is not that important, either – the players make the difference."

Germany and Belgium endured disappointing World Cup campaigns, each exiting at the group stage in Qatar despite pre-tournament hopes being high.

Four-time world champions Germany have slipped to 14th in the FIFA rankings – 10 places below Belgium – but that is not a true reflection of their quality in the view of Tedesco. 

"How is it possible that they're 14th?" he asked reporters. "At the World Cup in Qatar they had so many chances, they just didn't score enough. 

"No one had more expected goals than Germany. Even if Germany were last in the FIFA rankings, that wouldn't change anything. We want to win, even if it's a friendly game.

"Germany have a few new young players, but they are players from top teams. They remain a strong country."

Germany beat Peru 2-0 on Saturday, while Belgium kicked off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 3-0 win in Sweden on Friday thanks to Romelu Lukaku's hat-trick.

The 29-year-old has 71 goals in 105 senior international appearances, but he has struggled this term for club side Inter, where he is on loan from Chelsea for the campaign.

However, Tedesco says there is more to Lukaku's game than goals alone.

"Don't judge him solely on that," the Italian said. "He is looking in good shape and was proud after scoring his hat-trick – rightly so.

"I want him to be happy. He has the qualities to play for any side, including Inter. He is a good guy and he deserves to be happy when he plays."

Kai Havertz and Nico Schlotterbeck have been ruled out for Germany, while first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has not made the trip for Belgium.

That means a rare chance to shine for Koen Casteels, who is perhaps better known to the home fans having spent made than a decade in the Bundesliga.

"I don't have to show myself in Germany anymore – they know me here," the Wolfsburg goalkeeper said. "Germany is my second home. It's nice to play here.

"I feel a lot of recognition in Germany, maybe more than in Belgium. I am spoken of more positively here; in Belgium less so. I have resigned myself to that. 

"I owe a lot to Germany and also have German punctuality picked up, but after my career I'm just going to live in Belgium again."

Antonio Conte thanked Tottenham fans for their "unforgettable" support as he broke his silence following his exit from the club.

Conte left Spurs by mutual consent on Sunday, a week on from a remarkable outburst after a 3-3 draw with bottom side Southampton in which his side squandered a two-goal lead late on.

The Italian labelled his players "selfish" and questioned the club's lack of silverware during Daniel Levy's time as chairman.

That tirade ultimately cost him his job, with assistant Cristian Stellini taking charge until the end of the season as Spurs bid to finish in the Premier League top four for a second straight campaign.

Conte posted on Instagram on Monday, thanking Spurs and their fans while wishing them luck for the future.

"Football is passion," Conte said. "I would like to deeply thank everyone at Spurs who appreciated and shared my passion and my intense way of living football as a coach.

"A special thought to the fans who always showed me support and appreciation, it's been unforgettable to hear them singing my name.

"Our journey together has ended, I wish you all the best for the future."

Spurs' first game in the post-Conte era will be a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on April 3, as they look to cling onto the fourth spot that they currently occupy to achieve Champions League qualification for next season.

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