“I have no words because I’m so tired” – Elena Rybakina reflects on intense battle against Maria Sakkari as she reaches Miami Open SF

Elena Rybakina defeated Maria Sakkari in an intensely fought quarterfinal at the Miami Open 2024 on Tuesday, March 26, to book her spot in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event for the second year in a row.

Rybakina and Sakkari remained on serve for the majority of the opening set as the two canceled each other out with one break of serve each. Rybakina, however, broke Sakkari in the crucial 12th game to take the set.

The second set began on a chaotic note as the two players couldn't hold their respective serves in the first three games beginning with the Kazakhstani. In the eighth game, Rybakina broke again to return on serve but eventually lost the set in the tiebreaker.

The deciding set saw a solitary break of Sakkari's serve, which was enough for Rybakina to secure a 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4 win after grinding it out for two hours and 49 minutes.

During the customary on-court interview, Elena Rybakina was unable to come up with the words to describe her emotions as she was drained out physically.

"I have no words because I’m so tired but really happy with the win. It was such a tough battle. We played before and it was the same, really happy that I managed to get the win, got a bit lucky with new balls, it was easier to serve it out but now I need to recover," Rybakina said during her on-court interview at Miami Gardens.

Elena Rybakina is one step away from matching her performance at last year's Miami Open. She ended the tournament as the runner-up last year after losing to Petra Kvitova in the final.

Before the summit clash in 2023, she had downed the likes of Anna Kalinskaya, Paula Badosa, Elise Mertens, Martina Trevisan, and Jessica Pegula.

Elena Rybakina leads her Miami Open 2024 SF opponent Victoria Azarenka 3-0 in their head-to-head

Elena Rybakina plays a backhand against Maria Sakkari at the Miami Open.

Elena Rybakina will next take on three-time Miami Open champion Victoria Azarenka in the semifinal. She will notably step onto the court against Azarenka as the favorite as she holds a 3-0 lead in their head-to-head tally.

She first defeated Azarenka in a Round-of-32 matchup at the Indian Wells in 2022. The two then met in the semifinals of the Australian Open the following year when the Kazakhstani prevailed again.

Rybakina and Azarenka have already met once this year in the Round of 32 at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Their duel, however, ended prematurely as Azarenka called it quits midway through the match due to an injury.

In her Miami Open 2024 campaign, Azarenka has registered convincing wins over Peyton Stearns, Zheng Qinwen, Katie Boulter, and Yulia Putintseva.