Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, has reached her first Miami Open final. She easily defeated No. 6 seed Jasmina Paolini with a score of 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday. Sabalenka played at Hard Rock Stadium and maintained a strong serve throughout the match, securing her place in her 12th WTA 1000 final.
Miami is becoming a familiar tournament for Sabalenka, who lives in South Florida. She mentioned enjoying the comforts of home during the competition. Despite this home advantage, she had only reached the quarterfinals twice in her previous six Miami appearances, whether in Key Biscayne or Miami Gardens.
Sabalenka broke new ground by defeating No. 9 seed Zheng Qinwen 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals. This victory extended her winning streak against Zheng to seven matches. Facing Paolini, Sabalenka continued her strong performance, advancing to a final she has long desired. The three-time major champion has now won her last three matches against Paolini without dropping a set.
Sabalenka was dominant against Paolini, with the score only tied at 1-1 in each set. She served six aces, broke Paolini`s serve four times, and won the match in 1 hour and 11 minutes. She will now compete against No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula in Saturday`s final. Pegula ended the impressive run of teenage wild card Alexandra Eala from the Philippines.
Sabalenka`s Miami final appearance makes her the sixth player in the last 20 years to reach the finals at both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season. The others include tennis stars like Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka described her victory over Paolini as “one of the best matches of the season so far.” She felt incredibly focused and in control, stating, “It felt like everything was just, like, going smoothly my way. Yeah, super happy with the performance. I felt like I was in the zone.”
Pegula Overcomes Eala in a Tight Match
In the evening match, Jessica Pegula played for 2 hours and 26 minutes to defeat Eala. Eala`s remarkable journey in Miami concluded as Pegula secured the win late on Thursday night. Pegula rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the first set, breaking serve at crucial moments to win the set 7-6(3). She then won 5-7, 6-3 overall.
The match concluded after midnight local time, featuring a strong comeback from Eala after being down a set and a break. In the third set, both players held serve for the first seven games without facing a break point.
Pegula, who also won a late-night match against Emma Raducanu earlier in the week, managed to win the final three games against Eala, including holding serve from 0-30 to secure the match.
Pegula admitted to being “so tired” in her on-court interview, acknowledging the tough challenge posed by the young Eala, who had previously defeated top players Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek in the tournament.
Pegula praised Eala as a “really good tennis player” who “goes for her shots, takes the ball early” and “competes really well.” She recognized Eala`s potential, stating, “she`s beaten a lot of top players this week — I don`t think she needs me to tell her that she`s a great player, that we`re not going to see enough of her, we definitely are, and she proved that tonight.”
Looking ahead to Saturday`s final, Pegula has a 2-6 record against Sabalenka. She is seeking her fourth WTA 1000 title. Pegula lost to Sabalenka in straight sets in two significant hard-court finals last year, but several sets in those matches were very close.
Pegula believes her improved serve will be important in the final against Sabalenka, who is a strong returner. Pegula feels she can create opportunities to break Sabalenka`s serve. She recognizes Sabalenka`s confidence and aggressive playing style, especially on faster hard courts.
Reflecting on past matches, Pegula mentioned having chances against Sabalenka at the US Open and aims to learn from those experiences and capitalize on opportunities in the upcoming final.
Rupert Caldwell