Elena Rybakina’s excellent form continued on Wednesday as she defeated Jessica Pegula in the Miami Open quarter-finals.
Rybakina was far from her best against the American and quickly found herself a set down.
And the Kazakh’s chances of advancing to the semi-finals looked to be a forlorn hope when Pegula had multiple break-point opportunities in the second set.
However, Pegula failed to capitalise on these opportunities and Rybakina roared back to claim a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Is Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina the best rivalry in women’s tennis right now?
If not, who is?
With victory against Pegula, Rybakina is now the first player on the WTA Tour to beat Pegula five times in a row.
Rybakina will now face Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami semi-finals, and the Kazakh has suggested whether she would like ‘revenge’ after her recent loss to the Belarusian in the Indian Wells final.
Elena Rybakina previews her match against Aryna Sabalenka
During an interview on the Tennis Channel, host Steve Weissman asked the world number two whether she would like ‘revenge’ for her Indian Wells final loss.
“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.
“But I want to come out from the match, no matter the result, and be happy with what happened on the court, what worked, maybe some little improvements.
“It’s already a plus and hopefully we’ll play many more times.”
Late on in her press conference, Rybakina discussed why she really enjoys playing the world number one.
Who wins more Grand Slams in their career – Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka?
“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 half way yet and it’s great to play against Aryna.
“We are always pushing each other in the way that you can see what you need to improve.
“If she wins it’s going to be another challenge where I need to serve well and really take care of my game, knowing that on the other side she can hit a lot of good shots. Winners and good serves.
“I will try to focus on myself more. Somehow stay fresh for the match and we will see what is going to happen.”
The winner of Thursday’s contest will play Coco Gauff or Karolina Muchova in the Miami Open final.
Gauff defeated Belinda Bencic in her quarter-final match, while Muchova beat talented Canadian youngster Victoria Mboko.
Speaking of Muchova, the Czech star is looking to win her second WTA 1000 title in as many months after capturing the first of her career at the 2026 Qatar Open.
When can you watch Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina?
Those in the United Kingdom may find it difficult to watch Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina, as the contest is set to begin at 12:30 am GMT.
For those living on the east coast of America, you can watch the match at 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.
For those in Kazakhstan hoping to watch Rybakina, you can watch the semi-final from 5:30 am on Friday.
Those is Belarus will be able to view the match from 3:30 am on Friday.
