Aryna Sabalenka received a first-round bye at the Miami Open, setting up a possible semifinal matchup against Elena Rybakina. The draw positions both players on a collision course after Sabalenka's recent dramatic win over Rybakina at Indian Wells. Their paths include several seeded challengers.
The Miami Open draw has placed world number two Aryna Sabalenka in a challenging section. She skips the first round and could face qualifier Ann Li next, against whom she holds a 2-0 head-to-head record. A third-round meeting with 29th seed Wang Xinyu looms, where Sabalenka leads 1-0. The fourth round might pit her against 24th seed Zheng Qinwen, over whom she has won seven of eight matches, or 15th seed Madison Keys, who defeated her in last year's Australian Open final but trails 6-2 overall after Sabalenka's Brisbane win this year. Quarterfinal opponents could include seventh seed Jasmine Paolini or ninth seed Elina Svitolina, against whom Sabalenka is 6-1 up, including an Australian Open semifinal victory. A semifinal clash with Elena Rybakina appears possible, with Sabalenka leading their 9-7 head-to-head. Their most recent encounter at the BNP Paribas Open final saw Sabalenka save a match point on Rybakina's 121-mph serve to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(8-6). Tennis legend Martina Navratilova praised the save on Sky Sports: “The way she saved that match point, I screamed. She hit three quality shots. Rybakina hits a 121mph first serve, and it comes back with interest, and then two unbelievable ground strokes. I don’t know if I have seen a better save of a match point than that.” Rybakina's draw includes potential early tests against Yulia Putintseva, to whom she has lost two of three, Marta Kostyuk (4-1 lead), Naomi Osaka, or quarterfinal foe Jessica Pegula, beaten twice this season.