Miami Open: Elena Rybakina emulates impressive Serena Williams feat, Jessica Pegula edges thriller
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Updated 29/03/2023 at 09:03 GMT
There were impressive victories for both Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula on Tuesday as both WTA Tour stars progressed through to the semi-finals of the Miami Open. Rybakina managed to match a formidable feat previously achieved by the great Serena Williams on serve during her victory, while Pegula fended off match points in order to come through her latest contest.
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Elena Rybakina emulated a feat achieved by the great Serena Williams at the 2020 US Open as she continued her serene progress at the Miami Open on Tuesday, while Jessica Pegula also recorded another fine win.
The Wimbledon champion became the first woman to hit 10 or more aces in four matches at a single tournament since Williams did so at the 2020 US Open in her near-flawless 6-3 6-0 victory over Martina Trevisan at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Rybakina, who struck a formidable 23 winners in the contest, also became the first woman to hit 10 or more aces in four consecutive matches since 2018, per the WTA, as she raced to be the first player to fire down 200 aces already this season.
Her next opponent in the last four will be world No.3 Pegula, who had to overcome a lengthy rain delay and save two match points in order to come through the tough test presented by Anastasia Potapova.
Pegula, who holds a 2-0 head-to-head record over Rybakina ahead of their latest eagerly-anticipated match-up, progressed through to her seventh WTA Masters 1000 last-four clash with a 4-6 6-3 7-6(2) victory over the 26th seed.
In what was a late-night thriller after the start was delayed by nearly four hours due to heavy rain, the American will now have to attempt to deny Rybakina the status of the fifth player to secure a coveted 'Sunshine Double' after her triumph at Indian Wells.
"I don't mind playing her, at least in the past," Pegula said. "Obviously, she's picked up her level since then, so it'll be a tough test, especially after this match, just physically see how I feel.
"Hopefully, I can recover in time. At least I have another day. I think she and Sabalenka are the ones to beat right now so it's going to be a great test and a deserved semi for a tournament like this."
In yet more history involving Williams, Pegula became the first American to reach back-to-back semi-finals at Miami since Serena did so in 2014 and 2015, and she will now face a huge test to go one better and reach the tournament showpiece.
"My legs were heavy at like 2-0 in the third," Pegula said. "I think I worked so hard to win that second set and then to go up 2-0 to get the break, it just hit me and I kind of had a lull there for a couple of games.
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"She was just playing fearless, just going for her shots, moving well. The key was to not get too frustrated and just try and stay within one break in the third even though I was really gassed.
"I knew regardless she would get tight trying to close it out. She got a little tight and I was able to take my chances."
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