World Nos. 1 and 2, Sabalenka and Rybakina in the semis at the Miami Open; Gauff remains America’s hope

By Harvey Fialkov / Staff writer

MIAMI GARDENS — Sports are most popular when rivalries are involved, whether it be Yankees-Red Sox, Ali-Frazier or Borg-McEnroe. But in women’s tennis nothing can compare to Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s 15-year rivalry of 80 matches, most coming in the biggest tournaments.

Now that Elena Rybakina is officially No. 2 in the world, she and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka –- who will be on top for 76 consecutive weeks on Monday – have a budding rivalry that seems to have the potential of historic proportion.

Because the draw was made up before Rybakina rose from No. 3 to No. 2 following her final loss to Sabalenka at Indian Wells, they will meet in a highly anticipated semifinal instead of a final on Thursday at the Miami Open.

Although that could work out for local favorite No. 4 Coco Gauff or No. 12 Karolina Muchova – who play in tomorrow’s 3 p.m. semifinal — the winner does not have to beat both Nos. 1 and 2 to capture the title.

“Honestly, I’m not thinking about the title,’’ Gauff, of Delray Beach, said Tuesday. “I think I played enough of these tournaments to know the semis is just as far from the title as the first round, almost, in a way. I’m not thinking about it honestly. I’m really just happy and proud to be here. Definitely, didn’t think this was the year that would be my breakthrough here, but I’ll take it.”

It certainly didn’t look like the two powerful sluggers were going to meet for the 17^th time but third this year after No. 5 Jessica Pegula of Boca Raton played a near flawless first set in her quarterfinal with Rybakina Wednesday afternoon.

The 26-year-old Kazakh  stopped rushing her strokes and took command of the match early in the second set on the way to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in front of a packed Hard Rock Stadium on a sunny day.

“In the first set I was rushing a little bit and making many mistakes,’’ said Rybakina, who has beaten Pegula in five consecutive matches. “Jess was playing very well. Her game is fast and the balls stay low. Overall, I’m happy I found a way. I wasn’t rushing as much in the second set and won this [fifth] important game.”

In the evening quarterfinal, Sabalenka was tested by the power and net rushes of American Hailey Baptiste, who faltered at crunch time of each set in the Belarusian’s 6-4, 6-4 victory, her fourth consecutive straight-setter.

Pegula, 32, whose parents Terry and Kim, owners of the Buffalo Bills, were in attendance, has an improved serve. She committed just two unforced errors in the opening set in which she had a sluggish Rybakina on her heels. However, in the second set at 2-2, Rybakina missed three mid-court overheads. But she still won that game, punctuated with one of her 15 aces. She rolled from there to even the match.

“That game where she made a couple of bad errors, to me, I have to win that game with someone like her,’’ said a clearly frustrated Pegula, who broke Rybakina’s first two service games but none in the last two sets (2-of-10 on break points). “I can’t let her make that many mistakes and kind of get away with that game. But at the same time, I felt like I played really well throughout the whole match.

“I saw a stat I won more points [100-98]. That’s what sucks about tennis – sometimes you can win more points, and you can still lose the match. I mean I was right there. I felt like I played really solid. She hit some really good shots on break points, especially in the third. So, yeah, definitely, if I would’ve obviously got that break at that moment, maybe it would have been different. You don’t really know, but that was definitely a big, pivotal moment, I think, in the match.

“What do you really tell yourself? When you look at OK, what can I do differently? Obviously, there’s some things I think I can still do differently, but it’s kind of I almost rather just get killed, 2 and 2, instead of you played great. And you served well, you won more points, but you lost, and that’s just frustrating.”

Pegula, last year’s finalist, has four WTA 1000 titles and is a regular fixture in second weeks of Grand Slams and WTA 1000 tournaments. However, she has now dropped 10 of her last 11 matches against Sabalenka and Rybakina.

“They’re just so confident right now in big pressure points,’’ said Pegula, who also lost in doubles with partner Storm Hunter to Elise Mertens and Shuai Zhang in a dramatic 14-12 match tiebreak doubles quarterfinal.

Pegula had a look at break points trailing 3-4 in the final set, but Rybakina came up with two tremendous volleys, the first a low cross-court winner that Pegula applauded, and the second a sneaker-top, half-volley drop shot that was part luck, part skill. Rybakina served it out, ending with a 103-mph second serve that Pegula floated long.

The budding rivalry may not rival world Nos. 1 and 2 Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who between them have won the last nine Grand Slams, but it’s creeping toward that.

Rybakina (two Majors) and Sabalenka (four Majors) will now play in the semis or finals of three of the most significant hard-court tournaments (Australian Open finals won by Rybakina, Indian Wells final won by Sabalenka and Miami’s semis) this year.

“I feel like the season is not even halfway yet, and it’s great to play against Aryna always pushing each other, and you can see what you need to improve,’’ Rybakina said. “So, if she wins, it’s going to be another challenge, where I will 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, also winners, good serve. I’ll try to focus on myself more, try to stay somehow fresh for the match, and we’ll see again what’s going to happen.”

Sabalenka  said Baptiste certainly pushed her before wilting at crunch time. “I’m super happy I could [withstand] her pressure and get the win,’’ Sabalenka said.

Playing in her first career WTA 1000 quarterfinal, Baptiste was facing a world No. 1 for the first time. She went toe-to-toe with Sabalenka in both sets, but double-faulted on set point in the first set and then threw in three  more double faults in the second set.

Sabalenka is looking forward to another heavyweight matchup with Rybakina. Round 3, if you will.

“I don’t feel any different playing [Rybakina] in the quarters, semis or finals. It’s an opportunity to become a better player. It’s [always] a tough match and we have to bring our best tennis and fight for every point. I’m super-excited so it doesn’t matter what stage of the tournament. I would prefer to play [her in] the finals where all the tension is.

“We push each other to the limit, so I enjoy our battles.”

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About the Miami Open presented by Itaú

The 2026 Miami Open presented by Itaú will be played March 15 – March 29 at Hard Rock Stadium. The 15-day event is owned and operated by MARI and Hard Rock Stadium. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a WTA 1000 event on the WTA calendar, and annually hosts the world’s best players, with recent champions including the top players in each tour’s rankings – Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. In 2025, the tournament attracted more than 400,000 spectators over its 15 days at Hard Rock Stadium. Widely regarded as the most glamorous stop on the ATP and WTA calendars, the Miami Open is defined by the city’s vibrant culture, nightlife, five-star dining and hospitality, iconic beaches, and celebrity appeal, along with its close proximity to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

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