Rybakina, Sabalenka Headline Top Half in Miami

No final rematch—but don’t rule out an encore.

Fresh off their Indian Wells showdown, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have landed in the same half of the Miami Open draw, putting a semifinal collision on course if seeds hold.

Despite rising to a career-high No. 2 in Monday’s WTA rankings, Rybakina is seeded third due to the tournament’s cutoff—slotting her directly into Sabalenka’s section.

The Kazakh could have her hands full early. A potential round-of-16 clash with Naomi Osaka looms, followed by a possible quarterfinal rematch with No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula, who pushed her in the desert just days ago.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, is projected to face Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals as she looks to back up her Indian Wells title with another deep run.

The bottom half has its own intrigue.

No. 4 seed Coco Gauff anchors a dangerous quarter that includes sixth-seeded Amanda Anisimova. Gauff could see Maria Sakkari in the third round and Indian Wells semifinalist Linda Noskova in the fourth, should seeds hold.

Second-seeded Iga Swiatek could face No. 31 seed Alexandra Eala in the third round—a familiar foe who stunned her in last year’s Miami quarterfinals.

And don’t sleep on the depth: No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko, No. 13 seed Karolina Muchova, No. 17 seed Clara Tauson, and No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva round out a stacked bottom quarter brimming with firepower.