Aryna Sabalenka booked another meeting with Elena Rybakina after defeating Hayley Baptiste to reach the Miami Open semifinals.
World number one Sabalenka defeated American Baptiste 6-4, 6-4 and is aiming to achieve the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’ after defeating fellow big hitter Rybakina in the Indian Wells final.
Rybakina defeated Jessica Pegula in three sets to reach her third semifinal at the Miami Open.
Sabalenka was made to work hard by the unseeded American, fending off three break points before capitalizing on her only break chance to take the first set.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Sabalenka fighting back on match point and clinching a decisive break at 1 hour and 20 minutes.
“It’s definitely going to be a fight (with Rybakina),” Sabalenka said in an on-court interview. “It’s always a fight, always a fight, always a challenge.”
“We push each other to the limit and always bring our best tennis. These matches make me better as a player.”
Defending champion Sabalenka improved to 21-1 on the year. She also held a 9-7 edge over Rybakina in career meetings.
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Highlights of Sabalenka vs Rybakina in Indian Wells final
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Rybakina defeats Pegula again
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Highlights of the WTA Miami Open match between Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula.
Rybakina fought through a match that lasted two hours and 15 minutes to beat fifth-seeded Pegula 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, making it her fifth straight win against the American in seven months.
“The match against Jessica is always very difficult,” Rybakina said after the match. “She started playing well, so I was a little rushed and frustrated, but I’m glad I managed to bounce back and come back in the second set. After that, we were just battling, and the early break helped me a little bit.”
“I got lucky a few times. I was trying to get a little closer to the net, but Jessica plays so fast and sometimes plays so short that it wasn’t easy to just stay down. I had to adapt a little bit.”
Rybakina started the match slowly, committing 12 unforced errors in the first set as Pegula built a 4-0 advantage.
The decisive moment came in the fifth game of the second game, when Pegula converted three break points at 2-2, giving Rybakina the momentum in her favor and clinching the set.
Rybakina progressed from there, winning the deciding set and finishing the match with 15 aces, but only scored 98 points compared to Pegula’s 100 points.
The first women’s semi-final will take place on Thursday, with Coco Gauff facing Karolina Muchova.
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“ATP Miami Open” Highlights of Arthur Fils vs. Tommy Paul
In the men’s quarterfinals, Jiri Rehekka halted the advance of 20-year-old qualifier Martin Landalus, while 21-year-old Arthur Fiss saved four match points to beat Tommy Paul in three sets and reach his first Masters 100 semi-final.
“It was a dog fight. I never backed down from the fight,” Filth said in an on-court interview. “It’s okay even if I lose, I just fought with all my might.”
“This is the best result I’ve ever had in my life,” Fils said. “I will try my best in the semi-finals, but for now I am very happy.”
The Miami Open runs through March 29th. Watch the ATP Tour and WTA Tour live on Sky Sports. Stream now with no contract.
