Miami Open: Rybakina reach semis after victory over Sakkari

Elena Rybakina booked a return trip to the Miami Open semifinals with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 win over No.8 seed Maria Sakkari in Tuesday night’s quarterfinals.

The 2 hour, 48-minute affair marked the third three-set win in four matches played so far in the tournament for the No.4 seed, who is the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament after World No.1 Iga Swiatek was upset on Monday night by Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Round of 16. It was also Rybakina’s third win in four career matches against Sakkari, but it did not come easily — and more than a full hour passed by between her first two match points, and the eventual fifth and final one that won her the match.

“I have no words because I’m so tired. But I’m really happy with the win. It was such a tough battle,” Rybakina said afterwards. “I got a little bit lucky with new balls, so it was easier to serve it out … now, I just need to recover.”

It was really tough,” Rybakina said. “I had two match points and couldn’t close it out but I was just thinking to keep on fighting for every point. I knew the third would be really tough.”

Rybakina will next need to knock off three-time tournament champion and former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka, who defeated another Kazakh, Yulia Putintseva, in a three-set quarterfinal earlier Tuesday.