Tennis’ top 2 women Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina to clash again in Miami Open semi-final
Belarusian world No 1, who is on verge of ‘Sunshine Double’, lost to Kazakh world No 2 at Australian Open but had revenge at Indian Wells
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina on Wednesday 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.
World No 2 Rybakina beat fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula – runner-up to Sabalenka last year – 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
They will return on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium – home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins – to fight for a place in the final.
Rybakina beat Sabalenka in a nail-biting Australian Open final in January – the world No 1’s only defeat in 2026 – but the Belarusian avenged it with victory in the Indian Wells final this month.
“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.”