Aryna Sabalenka matched three tennis legends—including Serena Williams—after an impressive victory over Zheng Qinwen that secured her spot in the Miami Open semifinals. The world No. 1 has consistently performed at Grand Slams and WTA 1000 events for years, but this week, she achieved a new career milestone.
Sabalenka reached the Australian Open final in late January but fell in three sets to Madison Keys. Despite a lackluster Middle East swing, the Belarusian arrived in the U.S. for the Sunshine Double, featuring the prestigious WTA 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
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Two weeks ago, she reached the Indian Wells final—avenging her loss to Keys in the semifinals—only to fall again in three sets, this time to Mirra Andreeva. After coming close to titles twice, she has now advanced to the Miami Open semifinals, where she seeks her first trophy of the season.
Her 6-2, 7-5 victory over Zheng marked her sixth consecutive win against the Chinese player and secured her a spot in another WTA 1000 semifinal. With this result, Sabalenka joins an elite group of legends—Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, and Steffi Graf—who have reached at least the semifinals at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami in the same season.
The first to achieve this feat was 22-time Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf in 1994, followed by Hingis (1998, 2000, 2001) and finally Serena Williams in her iconic 2015 campaign. Of them all, only Graf managed to win all three titles, more than 30 years ago.
Sabalenka will aim to reach the Miami Open final when she faces Jasmine Paolini (No. 6) on Thursday night. The Belarusian leads the head-to-head 3-2 and has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
3/3 - Aryna Sabalenka is the fourth player to reach the sfs at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami the same year as World No. 1 after Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Serena Williams. Trips.#MiamiOpen | @MiamiOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/itDpmRKSXx
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) March 26, 2025
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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- I, like writer of this wonderful article, also picked Noskova to win this entire thing. I would love it if she and Andreeva are in the final.Rapunzel12-11-2026
- "Priorities", Saba... spend less time in front of cameras, anti-Social Media, selfies and back to Tennis.
mandoist12-11-2026 - Tell this to Andreeva!mandoist12-11-2026
- Andreeva with 11 games in a row to add to Saba's downward spiral issue !!! Personal feelings aside... Jess Pegula may want to reassess her evaluation of Mirra's abilities.mandoist12-11-2026
- I predicted whenthe list was finalised that Linda Noskova would win the WTA Finals and her matches against Gauff and Kostyuk prove that. She is the best (underrated) player in the world!Rapunzel11-11-2026
- Either Lena has a chronic internal ailment (i.e., colitis, enteritis, Crohn's, or some type of lower abdomen issue) -- or she is once again dealing with 'Vukovitis'. Mental stress can indeed cause lower body pains. No matter... whatever is truly going on sucks. "Virus" excuse is getting a bit old -- and often -- at this point.mandoist09-11-2026
- Ironically, Martina became a U.S. Citizen about the same time as the Orange Convicted Felon & Abuser was just beginning on his road to losing all Daddy's Millions!!mandoist09-11-2026
- "Another fresh start is in the cards." Thanks for the Humor!! I'm guessing this is the minimum one can do to keep all your sponsors hanging-on in perpetuity?mandoist09-11-2026
- Vukov is doing this to Lena... AGAIN!!!!! WTA's autonomous collective should be dismantled for allowing Vukov to re-emerge from his hand-slapping suspension. Just ask WTA employees how that's been going lately as they witness his continued verbal abuses. Women's Pro Tennis should start over.mandoist08-11-2026
- Can't help but suspect Vukov is back to his old self again. Thank you, WTA. Perhaps you can give them a "Battling Couple of the Year Award 2026" ??mandoist08-11-2026
