Elena Rybakina overwhelms world No 1 Iga Swiatek to set up Indian Wells final with Aryna Sabalenka

18.03.2023 - 10:25 theguardian.com

Elena Rybakina has knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek with a 6-2, 6-2 semi-final victory at Indian Wells on Friday to set up a clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Two months after Rybakina knocked Swiatek out of the Australian Open in the fourth round, the Wimbledon champion once again put in an impressive display against the world No 1.

Rybakina was in control from the start, breaking early to take a 2-0 lead, before going on to clinch the first set when Swiatek produced a double fault on set point.

Swiatek tested Rybakina’s serve in the first game of the second set, but the Kazakh held under pressure and then won the next four games to take a 5-0 lead.

Sporting 1 Elena Rybakina Iga Swiatek Australia Belarus India

For almost the entirety of Petra Kvitova’s storied 17-year career, the hard courts of the Miami Open have played slowly in humid Floridian weather, conditions entirely unsuited to the best fast-court player of her generation. In her 12 previous Miami Open appearances, she had never passed the quarter-finals.

Petra Kvitova defeats Elena Rybakina for 1st Miami Open title

Fifteenth-seeded veteran Petra Kvitova, in her 13th appearance at the Miami Open, finally won her first crown here, upsetting seventh-seed Elena Rybakina on Saturday with a marathon tiebreaker in a 7-6 (14), 6-2 win.

Petra Kvitova upsets Elena Rybakina for women's Miami Open title

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Twelfth-seeded veteran Petra Kvitova, in her 13th appearance at the Miami Open, finally won her first crown here, upsetting seventh-seeded Elena Rybakina on Saturday with a marathon tiebreaker in a 7-6 (14), 6-2 win.

Elena Rybakina hits 10 aces in Miami for 12th straight win

MIAMI GARDENS: Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina extended her winning streak to 12 matches by delivering 10 aces — her fourth consecutive outing with at least that many — in a 6-3, 6-0 victory over 25th-seeded Martina Trevisan on Tuesday in the Miami Open quarterfinals.

Miami Open 2023: Elena Rybakina breezes past Martina Trevisan to reach semi-finals with dominant victory

Elena Rybakina produced a dominant performance to beat Martina Trevisan 6-3 6-0 to reach the Miami Open semi-finals. Rybakina got better throughout the match and completed a bagel over her opponent to win in 68 minutes. Ad She will play Jessica Pegula or Anastasia Potapova, two players the Wimbledon champion has never beaten, in the last four on Thursday.

Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina backed for Indian Wells-Miami Open Sunshine Double by Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova has backed Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina to complete the 'Sunshine Double' as both players look to add Miami Open titles to their respective Indian Wells triumphs. Alcaraz dispatched Daniil Medvedev in impressive fashion to claim the former earlier in the month and faces Tommy Paul in the fourth round in Miami after breezing through the first two rounds. Ad Rybakina triumphed at Indian Wells after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final and is into the quarter-finals of the Miami Open after beating Elise Martins to set up a match with Martina Trevisan.