Sabalenka Still on Fire as Rybakina Rematch Looms in Miami

Aryna Sabalenka is the first player to claim 10 consecutive wins at the Miami Open without dropping a set since Serena Williams won 11 straight matches without dropping a set between 2002 and 2003.

And she’s still going strong after battling past rising American Hailey Baptiste on Wednesday night in Miami, 6-4, 6-4, taking her spot in the semifinals and improving her record in 2026 to 21-1.

The road becomes more difficult from here for the World No. 1.

Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina in the semifinals in the 17th edition of a rivalry that has captivated the tennis world like few others on the WTA Tour of late.

Newly minted World No. 2 Rybakina defeated Jessica Pegula in Wednesday’s first quarterfinal, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

They’ve already played two compelling contests in 2026, with Rybakina rallying from a break down to edge Sabalenka in this year’s Australian Open final, and Sabalenka rising to the occasion earlier this month in Indian Wells, where she saved a championship point in the final-set tiebreak before winning the title in the California desert for the first time.

The pair will meet for the first time in Miami, with Sabalenka holding a slim 9-7 edge overall.

Rybakina has won 13 of her last 14 matches against Top 10 opponents, with her lone blemish coming in the Indian Wells final against Sabalenka.

“I think that I was always playing against top players well,” she said when asked to explain her recent success against the WTA’s elite at Indian Wells. “Maybe the statistics were not the same, and I was losing these tough matches a bit more before, but I think with the years, with experience, I’m getting this consistency, so hopefully I can just keep on going.

“Also, you get to know the players much more, so you play against the same player multiple times, so you know what to expect.”

Strong Tennis from Baptiste

Baptiste, playing in her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal, had her chances early on. The World No. 45, facing a reigning World No. 1 for the first time, had three break-point opportunities in her first two return games, but she couldn’t capitalize and was broken while serving to stay in the set at 5-4.

The 24-year-old continued to press in the second set.

Sabalenka broke for 4-2, but Baptiste responded immediately with her first break of the night, then held for 4-all.

But Sabalenka bided her time and earned the decisive break, helped along by Baptiste, who double-faulted on the first three points of the game and couldn’t recover.

Sabalenka served it out from there, earning her 10th consecutive win—and her 10th straight victory in Miami, where she defeated Jessica Pegula in last year’s final to claim the title without dropping a set.

Also on the horizon for Sabalenka is a chance to become just the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double. Only Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek have previously achieved the feat.