Miami Open 2023: Elena Rybakina reaches final, Carlos Alcaraz & Daniil Medvedev reach semis
Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina remained on course for the rare ‘Sunshine Double’ by progressing at the Miami Open.
Tenth seed Rybakina reached the women’s final by beating world number three Jessica Pegula 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.
World number one Alcaraz brushed aside American ninth seed Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-2 to make the men’s semi-finals.
They are bidding to become the eighth man and fifth woman to follow victory at Indian Wells with the Miami title.
Kazakhstan’s Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who beat Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final last week, has now won 13 consecutive matches.
She will play Czech Petra Kvitova or Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in Saturday’s final.
Defending men’s champion Alcaraz, who must win the title to stay top of the rankings, will play Italian Jannick Sinner in the last four on Friday – the two played a five-hour epic quarter-final at last year’s US Open.
It will be a sixth meeting between the pair – the Spaniard leads the head-to-head 3-2 – in what is seen as one of the best burgeoning rivalries in the men’s game.
“I [am] happy to play against him again because I look forward to these kind of matches,” Sinner said. “I feel like he makes me a better player.”
Medvedev on course for a fifth straight final
In the other side of the men’s draw is former world number one Daniil Medvedev, who continued his fine form with a straight-set win over American qualifier Christopher Eubanks in the quarter-finals.
The fourth seed won 6-3 7-5 in a commanding performance and will play fellow Russian Karen Khachanov.
Khachanov won 6-3 6-2 against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
“We grew up together,” Khachanov said.
“Every time Daniil plays against Andrey [fellow Russian Andrey Rublev], or I play against Andrey or Daniil, it’s never easy because we know each other pretty well and we are good friends outside of the court.”
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, has won 22 of his past 23 matches and beating Eubanks enabled him to reach the semi-finals at a fifth straight ATP event.
After winning consecutive titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, Medvedev was beaten in the Indian Wells final by Alcaraz.
In the women’s draw, Kvitova beat Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 3-6 6-3 in their rain-delayed quarter-final to reach the Miami semi-finals for the first time.