Aryna Sabalenka recorded a convincing 6-4, 6-4 victory over Hailey Baptiste and advanced to her second consecutive Miami Open semifinal.
Baptiste did well to go toe-to-toe with Sabalenka, but the world No. 1 maintained her trademark aggression as she slowly let the match tilt in her favor. He won the points he needed, saving three break points in the first set to repeatedly put Baptiste in unenviable positions.
Despite playing at a high level throughout the first match, the 24-year-old Baptiste finally broke, with an ill-timed double fault giving Sabalenka the set.
In the second set, down a break, Baptiste showed courage to rally to lead 4-4, but after Sabalenka held at 5-4, the American tensed up again, committing three double faults to give Sabalenka her first match point. Moments later, Sabalenka uncorked a crosscourt forehand to close out the match, WTA reports.
The victory sends Sabalenka to the semifinals in Miami for the second year in a row and sets up her 17th career meeting with Elena Rybakina.
on the WTA circuit.
Sabalenka leads the matchup 9-7 and won their most recent meeting in the Indian Wells final two weeks ago, saving a match point before lifting the trophy and beginning her quest for the Sunshine Double.
Earlier, No. 3 seed Rybakina extended her recent dominant record against No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula to reach her third Miami Open semi-final, recovering from a slow start to advance 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
World No. 2 Rybakina advances to her second semi-final of 2026, having lifted her second major crown at the Australian Open in January.
Rybakina has a 2-0 record in Miami semi-finals to date, having defeated Pegula in 2023 and Victoria Azarenka in 2024; On both occasions she lost the final, to Petra Kvitova in 2023 and Danielle Collins in 2024.
