Elena Rybakina says she is making the same change as Aryna Sabalenka after reaching Miami Open semifinals

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Elena Rybakina defeated Jessica Pegula, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Miami Open quarterfinals.

The Kazakh looked out of sorts in the first set, but fought back brilliantly to secure her place in the Miami Open semifinals.

Now ranked number two in the world, Rybakina has been in fine form this year, as she continues to improve.

During her post-match interview, the Australian Open champion revealed that she and her team are making a specific tactical change that Aryna Sabalenka is also working on.

Elena Rybakina says she is working on coming to the net more like Aryna Sabalenka

Tim Henman and Gigi Salmon asked Rybakina about her net play during an interview for Sky Sports.

“Definitely, that is one of the goals of my team, to push me, to come to the net more often,” said Rybakina.

“For now, I’ve not been so successful, but today, a lot of things worked out, got lucky on a few shots.

“But I’m happy that somehow I was still at the net.”

Rybakina is following in the footsteps of her greatest rival, Sabalenka, who is also making improvements to her net game.

At Indian Wells, Sabalenka highlighted the impact of coach Max Mirnyi, who is helping her become more aggressive at the net.

“Not only serve and volley, but he also helped me in baseline strokes, he helped a lot, very smart approach,” said Sabalenka.

“Hopefully in the future, I’ll do more serve and volley, and you’ll see me more at the net.”

If Sabalenka and Rybakina, the world’s top two players, can add an elite net game to their arsenal, they’re going to be nearly impossible to beat!

Focusing on the match itself, Rybakina reflected on her fifth consecutive win against Pegula.

Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula’s head-to-head record

“I feel Jessica started really well, and I was rushing a little bit,” Rybakina admitted.

“She plays very fast, and the ball stays low, so I was getting frustrated with the mistakes and a lot of things were going through my head, too much negative.

“But then I took a break, tried to fight for each point, and somehow managed to turn it around.

“Then in the third set, with the first break, it was a little bit easier to play.”

The two-time Grand Slam champion was also keen to mention the scheduling, another obstacle she had to overcome in the quarterfinals.

“Overall, I feel like it’s not easy to play the whole tournament at night, and then it’s a morning match,” said Rybakina.

“I’m happy that with all these challenges, I managed to still keep on going.”

Rybakina will now prepare to take on either Sabalenka or Hailey Baptiste in the semifinals.

Tim Henman ‘wonders’ if Jessica Pegula believed Elena Rybakina’s comeback was on

During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Henman delivered his verdict on Rybakina’s three-set win.

“I think Jess Pegula played a brilliant first set, stamped her authority, but such is the confidence and resilience of [Elena] Rybakina that it was as if she believed the comeback was still on,” he said.

“And you wonder whether Jess Pegula kind of believed the comeback was on…

“You heard some of the dialogue between her and her box courtside. She was talking about where she was going on certain shots, how she was in her head.

“So it sounds like it was a bit psychological as well for Pegula, that was the fifth she lost in a row to Rybakina.

“Also, just the quality of the ball striking [from Rybakina], after that first set was out of the way, it was very impressive.”

Anne Keothavong was just as impressed with Rybakina’s performance, highlighting the Kazakh’s resilience.

“That’s what you expect from this champion,” she said.

“For a set and a half, she looked out of sorts, but she managed to dig deep, find a way, and her level continued to improve once she did so.

“Yes, it was scrappy at times, yes, in the semifinals, I’m not sure she’s going to be able to afford to start off like that, but right now, I’m sure there is a huge sigh of relief that she was able to get through that.”

Only time will tell if Rybakina can go all the way in Miami, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.