Miami Open: Aryna Sabalenka to face Elena Rybakina in blockbuster semi-final as she targets 'Sunshine Double'
Wworld No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will meet rival Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals of the Miami Open, while Coco Gauff takes on Karolina Muchova on Thursday;watch the Miami Open live until March 29 on Sky Sports
Thursday 26 March 2026 07:28, UK
Aryna Sabalenka booked another meeting with Elena Rybakina as she reached the Miami Open semi-finals with victory over Hailey Baptiste.
World No 1 Sabalenka took down American Baptiste 6-4 6-4 and is looking to complete the coveted 'Sunshine Double' after her triumph in the Indian Wells final over fellow big-hitter Rybakina.
Rybakina reached the semi-finals of the Miami Open for the third time after beating Jessica Pegula over three sets.
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Sabalenka was made to work hard by the unseeded American, surviving three break points against her before clinching the opening set by capitalising on her only break opportunity.
The second set followed a similar pattern, a forehead return on match point from Sabalenka clinching the crucial break in an hour and 20 minutes.
"It's definitely going to be a battle [against Rybakina]," Sabalenka said in an on-court interview. "It's always a battle, always a fight, always a challenge."
"We push each other to the limit and we always bring the best tennis. These are the matches where I get better as a player."
Defending champion Sabalenka improved to 21-1 for the year. She also holds a 9-7 edge over Rybakina in their career meetings.
Tale of the Tape
Rybakina edges out Pegula again
Rybakina came through a contest lasting two hours and 15 minutes to win 2-6 6-3 6-4 against the No 5-seed Pegula, her fifth straight win over the American in the last seven months.
"It's always very difficult matches with Jessica," Rybakina said post-match. "She started playing well, and I was a bit rushing and frustrated, but I'm happy that I managed to bounce back and turn it around in the second set. Then we were just fighting, and the early break helped me a little bit.
"Couple times I got lucky. I was trying to come a little bit more to the net - Jessica plays very fast and sometimes short, so it was not easy to just stay back I had to adapt a little bit."
Rybakina started the match slowly with 12 unforced errors in an opening set that had seen Pegula cruise out to a 4-0 advantage.
A decisive moment came in the fifth game of the second as Pegula squandered three break points at 2-2, throwing momentum in favour of Rybakina on her way to clinching the set.
Rybakina marched on from there to win the deciding set while finishing the match with 15 aces but having won just 98 points to Pegula's 100.
The first women's semi-final takes place on Thursday when Coco Gauff faces Karolina Muchova.
In men's quarter-final action, Jiri Lehecka ended 20-year-old qualifier Martin Landaluce's breakthrough run while 21-year-old Arthur Fils saved four match points to reach his first Masters 100 semifinal in a three set win over Tommy Paul.
"It was a dog fight and I never back down from a fight," Fils said in his on-court interview. "Even if I lose, it's okay, I just fought the best that I could."
"That's the best result I've had in my life so far," said Fils. "I will try to do my best in the semis, but now I'm pretty happy."
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