Tennis player Sabalenka will face Gauff in the Miami Open final.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 in the Miami Open semi-finals, securing her place in the final.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka advances to the Miami Open final. (Photo: Getty Images)

The victory at Hard Rock Stadium brings Sabalenka closer to her goal of winning the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open in the same year for the first time in her career.

Before the final, Sabalenka said she was ready to face Coco Gauff. “She’s a very strong opponent. We’ve faced each other many times, through many intense matches, even big finals. I’m really looking forward to meeting her again in this final. It’s definitely going to be an exciting match and I’m really looking forward to it,” Sabalenka shared.

The rivalry between Sabalenka and Rybakina, two of the top-ranked players in the WTA, is considered one of the highlights of the 2026 season. They have previously produced many exciting finals at the Australian Open and Indian Wells. However, this year's semi-final in Miami was quite one-sided, with Sabalenka dominating and closing out the match in two sets.

Earlier, in the other semi-final match, Gauff secured her place in the final after defeating Czech player Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-1. Muchova entered the match in high form after winning her first WTA 1000 title at the Qatar Open last month. However, the Czech player was unable to change the course of their match, suffering another defeat against Gauff. This victory extended the American player's head-to-head record against Muchova to six wins out of six.

Sabalenka and Gauff first met in 2020, and their head-to-head record is currently tied at 6-6. However, Gauff holds the advantage in Grand Slam finals, having defeated Sabalenka to win the US Open in 2023 and the French Open in 2025.

In both finals, Gauff caused Sabalenka a lot of trouble thanks to her solid defensive play and her persistence in long rallies. Sabalenka believes Gauff's strength lies in her ability to maintain the tempo of the game and force her opponent to play more rallies.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tay-vot-sabalenka-cham-tran-gauff-o-chung-ket-miami-open-374549.html