MIAMI – Top seed Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev booked their spots in the Miami Open semi-finals with wins over American opponents on Thursday, while Elena Rybakina saw off world No. 3 Jessica Pegula to reach the women’s final.
Taylor Fritz showed great fight but was unable to match Alcaraz’s level, with the defending champion taking control with an instant break of serve in each set on the way to a 6-4, 6-2 win.
In a high-quality clash, world No. 1 Alcaraz never trailed and frustrated ninth seed Fritz with a potent mix of power, sublime shotmaking and relentless hustle.
“A little bit of nerves at the beginning of the match, it was new for me playing against him, never played him before,” the 19-year-old Spaniard said after the match, which was postponed due to rain.
“Of course I am really happy with the way that I started with no mistakes and with a lot of power. It was a key for me to break the serve at the beginning.”
If Alcaraz lifts the title in Florida, he would become the eighth man to complete the Indian Wells and Miami “Sunshine Double”.
He next plays 10th seed Italian Jannik Sinner, whom the Spaniard beat in the Indian Wells semi-finals.
Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who is also seeking to become the fifth woman to win the “Sunshine Double”, came through two roller-coaster sets and a couple of rain delays to beat Pegula 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in their semi-final.
Neither player was able to settle but Moscow-born Rybakina, who now represents Kazakhstan, came out on top in a tense tiebreak before edging out the second set to record her 13th straight win.
“I was playing much better when I was down,” she said after her first win over Pegula in three meetings.
Rybakina’s opponent in the final will be two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Earlier on Thursday, Medvedev ended the dream run of American qualifier Christopher Eubanks, with an impressive 6-3, 7-5 victory in a rain-interrupted match to reach the Miami semi-finals for the first time.
He faces fellow Russian Karen Khachanov, who advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo. REUTERS
