Elena Rybakina has secured her place in the Miami Open semi-finals for the third time in her career, overcoming Jessica Pegula in a hard-fought three-set encounter on Wednesday.
The third seed triumphed with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 against the fifth-seeded American, marking her fifth consecutive victory over Pegula in the past seven months.
Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion, now awaits her next opponent, who will be either the world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka – the player she defeated in the final of the year’s first Grand Slam – or Hailey Baptiste.
Reflecting on the challenging match, Rybakina commented, “Matches against Jessica are always incredibly tough. She began strongly, and I found myself rushing and getting a bit frustrated. However, I’m pleased I managed to regain my composure and turn the match around in the second set. From there, it was a real battle, and securing an early break was definitely beneficial. I had a bit of luck on a couple of occasions. I also tried to approach the net more, as Jessica plays very quickly and sometimes short, making it difficult to just stay at the baseline; I needed to adjust my strategy.”
Rybakina’s start was sluggish, accumulating 12 unforced errors in an opening set where Pegula quickly built a dominant 4-0 lead.
A pivotal moment occurred in the second set’s fifth game when Pegula failed to convert three crucial break points at 2-2, an missed opportunity that shifted momentum significantly in Rybakina’s favor, leading her to claim the set.
From that point, Rybakina pressed on to win the deciding set. Despite serving 15 aces, she ultimately won 98 points compared to Pegula’s 100, highlighting the intensity and closeness of the contest.
The first women’s semi-final is scheduled for Thursday, featuring Coco Gauff against Karolina Muchova.