Elena Rybakina kept her strong run going with a quarter-final win over Jessica Pegula at the Miami Open.
It wasn’t Rybakina’s cleanest performance, and she dropped the first set without much resistance.
The outlook didn’t improve early in the second set either, with Pegula earning several break points and looking poised to take control. But she couldn’t convert, and Rybakina fought back to turn things around completely.
The Kazakh battled through for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win and became the first player on tour to defeat Pegula five times in succession.
Next up for Rybakina is Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals. The Kazakh addressed whether she’s seeking ‘revenge’ after her recent loss to Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final.
Elena Rybakina discusses her upcoming match against Aryna Sabalenka
Rybakina had the chance to play straight away after the loss in Indian Wells but chose instead to focus on improving and playing more matches before thinking about facing Sabalenka again.
“Well, not necessarily,” Rybakina replied. “I want to play of course any top player straight away. Aryna of course – I would prefer maybe to play in the final if she wins.
“But for me honestly, it’s not really about revenge. I had a lot of opportunities [Indian Wells] and it was in the third set kind of a roulette in Indian Wells and of course I just know we push each other and can learn from these matches.
Rybakina has lost all three meetings against Sabalenka this year, but she explained why she always enjoys facing her during her press conference.
“I’m just on the path of this consistency,” she said. “For now, this year has been good, but I still feel like the season is not even halfway yet and it’s great to play against Aryna.
If Sabalenka comes through on Thursday, Rybakina knows that controlling her own game will be crucial.
The winner between Rybakina and Sabalenka will go on to face either Coco Gauff or Karolina Muchova in the Miami Open final.
Gauff reached the semi-finals by beating Belinda Bencic, while Muchova advanced with a win over Victoria Mboko.
How to watch Aryna Sabalenka v Elena Rybakina: TV channel, UK start time and live stream
The Sabalenka vs Rybakina semi-final is scheduled for 12:30 am GMT, so fans in the UK may find it a tough one to catch live.
On the east coast of the US, though, it’s a much more reasonable 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time start.
If you’re in Kazakhstan and want to follow Rybakina, coverage begins at 5:30 am local time on Friday morning.
And for those in Belarus watching Sabalenka, the match will be on at 3:30 am local time, also on Friday.
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