Rybakina Defeats Pegula in Miami, Securing Fifth Consecutive Win
Elena Rybakina advanced to the Miami Open semi-finals after a hard-fought comeback victory over Jessica Pegula, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. This marks the fifth consecutive win for Rybakina against Pegula in their last seven meetings.
Pegula started strong, taking a 4-0 lead and ultimately securing the first set. However, Rybakina rallied, demonstrating resilience and power with 15 aces and successfully saving eight of ten break points.
Potential Rematch and Semifinal Opponents
Rybakina will now face either world number one Aryna Sabalenka, in a potential rematch of the Australian Open final, or unseeded American Hailey Baptiste in the semi-finals.
Rybakina’s Reflections on the Match
“It’s always very difficult playing Jessica,” Rybakina stated. “She started playing well, and I was rushing and frustrated, but I’m happy that I managed to bounce back and turn it around in the second set.”
Other Semifinal Matchups
In the other women’s semi-final, Coco Gauff will compete against Karolina Muchova. A victory for Gauff could see her move to third in the WTA rankings, surpassing Iga Swiatek.
Men’s Semifinal Results
In the men’s draw, Jiri Lehecka defeated Martin Landaluce 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 to reach the semi-finals, where he will face either Tommy Paul or Arthur Fils.