Elena Rybakina produced the headline result at the Miami Open, fighting back from a set down to beat Jessica Pegula 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and book her place in the semifinals. The Kazakh star adjusted after a rough opening set, took control of the baseline exchanges, and closed out her fifth straight victory over Pegula. The win also sent Rybakina into the Miami semifinals for the third time.
For much of the first set, Pegula looked in charge. The American was cleaner early, dictated more of the rallies, and made Rybakina work to find any rhythm. But once the match settled, Rybakina began serving better, struck with more depth, and steadily turned the momentum. By the third set, she had imposed the kind of measured power that has made her one of the toughest hard-court players in the world.
Rybakina’s comeback set up one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament, a semifinal against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka reached the last four later Tuesday with a straight-sets win over American Hailey Baptiste, 6-4, 6-4. That result kept alive Sabalenka’s bid for the Sunshine Double after her title run at Indian Wells, while also setting the stage for another chapter in one of the WTA Tour’s best current rivalries.
The women’s semifinal lineup was completed by Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova. Gauff advanced after beating Belinda Bencic 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, reaching the Miami Open semifinals for the first time. The result made Gauff the youngest American woman to make the Miami singles semifinals since Serena Williams in 2004. Muchova, meanwhile, had already secured her place by defeating rising teenager Victoria Mboko on Monday, giving the tournament a pair of semifinal matchups with very different feels: top-end power in Sabalenka against Rybakina, and variety against athleticism in Gauff against Muchova.
On the men’s side, Tuesday also reshaped the tournament. Jiri Lehecka ended the impressive run of Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce with a 7-6(1), 7-5 win. Landaluce had been one of the breakout stories of the event, but Lehecka served sharply and handled the pressure points better to move into the semifinals. For Landaluce, the loss still capped a notable week in Miami and offered another sign of the young Spaniard’s potential on a big stage.
The other men’s quarterfinal delivered one of the wildest matches of the tournament. Arthur Fils saved four match points to outlast Tommy Paul 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 7-6(6), reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal. ATP Tour described it as one of the matches of the season, and the scoreline backed that up: three tiebreak sets, relentless pressure, and a stunning late escape by the Frenchman after trailing 2-6 in the deciding breaker.
Taken together, March 25 gave the Miami Open exactly what it wants late in the second week: star power, drama, and a bracket that still feels open. Rybakina’s comeback win carried the most weight because it changed the tone of the women’s event. Instead of Pegula advancing on home soil, the tournament now gets a semifinal between the two top players in the world, with Sabalenka and Rybakina splitting major titles already this season.
Tuesday’s action was a reminder of how quickly a tournament can pivot. Pegula seemed in command, then Rybakina flipped the match. Landaluce’s run looked capable of stretching another round, then Lehecka shut the door. Paul came within a point or two of a signature home win, then Fils stole it away. By the end of the day, the draw looked sharper, more dramatic, and far more difficult to predict.
