Aryna Sabalenka admits she was suffering from exactly the same problem as Qinwen Zheng in their match at Miami

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Aryna Sabalenka reached the semi-finals of the Miami Open but it was not smooth-sailing for the World number one.

She took on Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, a player she has not suffered defeat against, for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Aryna Sabalenka had yet to drop a set in Miami and that continued when she faced the Chinese number one for the sixth time.

In somewhat tricky conditions for both players, the Belarusian played her best tennis when it mattered most to advance to the last four at Florida’s WTA 1000 event.

Aryna Sabalenka says what she and Qinwen Zheng struggled with at the Miami Open

Sabalenka was in control of her Miami Open quarter-final against Zheng after taking the first set 6-2.

But the World number nine fought back and broke the US Open champion three times in a row to lead the second set 4-2.

However, Sabalenka can never be counted out as she broke back in the very next game, before coming back from 0-40 to level the set a four games apiece.

Sabalenka won 29 of Zheng’s 35 second-serve points, some of which came during the 11th game as she broke for a 6-5 lead before successfully serving for the match.

Sabelanka, who won just 53% of her first serve points, said she and Zheng struggled to adapt the conditions in their night match, which also affected the balls.

“I’m very happy with the level I played but in the second set, we both couldn’t really adjust to the balls,” she said. “Maybe because it was a late match and both of us had not played any late matches here.

“The balls were getting really heavy and they were getting bigger and I think we both couldn’t adjust to the conditions, that’s why we struggled with serving.

“But I’m super happy with the way I handled my emotions and even though my serve didn’t work well I was fighting for every point and I’m very proud of that. It’s always a tough match against her so I’m double happy with the win.”

Aryna Sabalenka reaches first Miami Open semi-final

Sabalenka’s latest victory has booked her a spot in the Miami Open semi-finals for the first time.

She previously reached the quarter-finals in 2021 and 2023, and now the top seed is one win away from competing for the final.

Standing in her way is World number seven Jasmine Paolini, who is also into the Miami Open semi-finals for the first time.

In the quarter-finals the Italian took out Magda Linette, who ended Coco Gauff’s run in the fourth round.