Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are set to clash for the third time this year in the Miami Open semifinals.
In pursuit of defending her title, Sabalenka booked her place in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament for the second year in a row after beating home hope Hailey Baptiste in straight sets.
Meanwhile, Rybakina advanced after beating Jessica Pegula, coming back from a set down against the American star to continue her bid to hoist the Miami Open title for the first time.
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The two stars have met solely in finals this year, having contested the championship match at both the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Open.
In Miami, however, the biggest matchup in women’s tennis right now will take place in the final four stage of a tournament.
The rare coincidence at this year’s Miami Open
Following Iga Swiatek’s early exit at the Miami Open, Rybakina leapfrogged the Pole in the rankings to become the world number two.
Typically, the world number one and world number two meet in the final of an event, but with Rybakina having been the world number three before the draw for the tournament, she was seeded third, which put her on a semifinal collision course with Sabalenka.
The 2026 Miami Open marks just the third time since the inception of the WTA rankings that the world number one and two have played each other in the semifinals.
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It first occurred back in Roland Garros back in 1996, when WTA number one Steffi Graf took on world number two and third seed Conchita Martinez.
Two years later, at the 1998 US Open, it happened again with Martina Hingis and Jana Novotna.
The story of Elena Rybakina’s rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka in 2026
Heading into the 2026 season, the head-to-head between Rybakina and Sabalenka was 8-6 in favour of the Belarusian.
Rybakina had won their last meeting of 2025, which came in the title bout of the year-end WTA Finals.
At the Australian Open, Rybakina closed in on her rival when she won their final after triumphing in a decisive third set.
Sabalenka earned revenge, however, at the Indian Wells Open, fighting back from a set down to hold the WTA 1000 trophy aloft.
Now, they will do battle for the 17th time in their careers, with a place in the Miami Open final up for grabs.
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