Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina set up their latest blockbuster battle at the Miami Open with the World No 1 still on course to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’.
Sabalenka defeated Rybakina in the final to win Indian Wells for the first time earlier this month and the two best players in the world will meet again in the semi-finals in Miami.
Rybakina, the third seed, had won her previous two finals against Sabalenka, beating the World No 1 to win the Australian Open in January and WTA Finals at the end of last season.
“It’s definitely going to be a battle,” Sabalenka said following her 6-4 6-4 win over Hayley Baptiste. “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.”
Rybakina recorded her fifth consecutive win over Jessica Pegula, the fifth seed, coming from a set down to win 2-6 6-3 6-4 against the American.
Coco Gauff, the fourth seed, will play the in-form Karolina Muchova in the first semi-final on Thursday, followed by the match between Sabalenka and Rybakina.
Sabalenka is bidding to become just the fifth woman to win Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back, and the first since Iga Swiatek in 2022.
Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Steffi Graf, who won the ‘Sunshine Double’ twice in 1994 and 1996, are the only other players to have achieved the feat.
Aryna Sabalenka v Elena Rybakina start time
The match will not start before 00:30 GMT (UK time) on Friday 27 March, or 20:30 ET local time on Thursday 26 March. In the UK, the Miami Open is shown on Sky Sports.
