Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina to clash again in Miami semi-final

MIAMI – World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and second-ranked Elena Rybakina on March 25 booked a blockbuster semi-final at the Miami Open in a rerun of their Melbourne Grand Slam decider.

Defending champion Sabalenka held off big-hitting 45th-ranked American Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 6-4, while world No. 2 Rybakina beat fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula – runner-up to Sabalenka in 2025 – 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

They will return on March 26 (March 27 morning, Singapore time) at Hard Rock Stadium – home of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins – to fight for a place in the final.

Rybakina, 26, beat Sabalenka, 27, in a nail-biting Australian Open final in January – the Belarusian’s only defeat in 2026 – but the latter avenged it with victory at Indian Wells earlier in March.

“We’ve been playing a lot of matches recently actually and all of them have been a battle, all of them been a show,” Sabalenka told the Tennis Channel. “I’m super excited facing her.”

She is now two wins away from completing the “Sunshine Double” of Indian Wells and Miami.

Baptiste, playing her first WTA 1000 quarter-final, failed to convert three break points in Sabalenka’s first two service games. Sabalenka finally broke Baptiste when the American double faulted on set point.

She gained an early break in the second, but Baptiste broke back and held confidently to level at 4-4.

But as she served at 4-5 to stay in the match, the American opened with three straight double faults. Sabalenka pounced, converting her second match point with a blistering return.

“She really pushed me,” Sabalenka said. “The rhythm, the heaviness of her shots is incredible. I’m super happy that I was able to hold the pressure and to get the win.”

She will now face a familiar foe in Rybakina, who shrugged off a slow start to post her fifth straight win over Pegula – a streak that includes a semi-final victory at the Australian Open and a quarter-final win at Indian Wells.

Pegula, who won in Dubai in February, broke twice to jump to a 4-0 lead and took the opening set in 35 minutes.

But Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina was finding her rhythm and broke for a 4-2 edge on the way to forcing a third set, gaining control of the decider with an opening break.

“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,” said Rybakina, who is seeded third despite rising to No. 2 in the world for the first time this week.

In the men’s draw, 28th-seeded Arthur Fils of France saved four match points on the way to a 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6) victory over 22nd-seeded American Tommy Paul.

Fils trailed 6-2 in the third-set tiebreak, saving four straight match points before prevailing in 2hr 49min.

“It was a dogfight and I never back down from a fight,” the 21-year-old Fils said. “Even if I lose, it’s OK. I just fought the best that I could. That’s the best result I’ve had in my life so far.”

He reached the semi-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time, where he will face 21st-seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka.

Lehecka ended the dream run of qualifier Martin Landaluce, beating the 151st-ranked Spaniard 7-6 (7-1), 7-5. AFP