Tennis’ top 2 women Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina to clash again in Miami Open semi-final

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina on Wednesday booked a blockbuster semi-final at the Miami Open in a rerun of their Melbourne grand slam decider.

Defending champion Sabalenka held off big-hitting 45th-ranked American Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 6-4.

World No 2 Rybakina beat fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula – runner-up to Sabalenka last year – 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

They will return on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium – home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins – to fight for a place in the final.

Rybakina beat Sabalenka in a nail-biting Australian Open final in January – the world No 1’s only defeat in 2026 – but the Belarusian avenged it with victory in the Indian Wells final this month.

“We’ve been playing a lot of matches, recently actually, and all of them have been a battle, all of them been a show,” Sabalenka told the Tennis Channel. “I’m super-excited facing her.”

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