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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