Elena Rybakina wins just five (!) points in the 2nd set, but beats three-time champ Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(2) to reach the Miami final for the 2nd consecutive year. 5th career WTA 1000 final (2-2).
MATCH REPORT: Elena RYBAKINA survives Victoria AZARENKA’s bagel to reach back to back Miami Open finals
WTAThursday, 28 March 2024 at 22:47
Elena Rybakina (No. 4) survived a resilient Victoria Azarenka (No. 27) by 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(2) and will play her second consecutive final at the Miami Open. The Belarusian handed the first bagel to the 2022 Wimbledon champion since the first round of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic against Daria Kasatkina (1-6, 6-2, 6-0).
The Kazakh faced significant difficulties with her service in the second set and was far from her best level, but once again showed her class and reached her fifth WTA 1000 final, with titles at Indian Wells and the Rome Open, both in 2023.
The first set saw Rybakina starting with three break points that she couldn't convert. Nevertheless, the Kazakh remained strong on her service games, winning 17 out of 19 points with her first serve (89%) and hitting 7 aces. Azarenka managed to hold her serve until the seventh game, where Rybakina finally broke through on her fifth set point opportunity.
The one-break advantage was enough for Rybakina, who despite facing difficulties in her movement throughout the tournament, maintained the lead with solid baseline shots to take the set 6-4.
After a strong first set despite the limitations, the second part turned into a nightmare for Rybakina. She won just three points on serve and only five points in the entire set. Azarenka went on a streak of 16 consecutive points won between the second and sixth games, quickly sealing the second set 6-0 in 29 minutes.
The third set saw Rybakina's reaction as she won 100% of the points with her first serve and once again put pressure on the 2-times Grand Slam champion. The break came in her favor in the fifth game after four missed opportunities, and she had the chance to serve to close out the set. However, Azarenka rescued a break at the opportune moment to level the score at 5-5.
Everything was decided in the tie-break, where Rybakina took an early advantage with two mini-breaks and did not concede any ground with her service to finish the match 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(2).
The Ice Queen will face the winner between the last remaining local contender, Danielle Collins (No. 53), and Ekaterina Alexandrova (No. 14), in the final.
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