By Tony Fairbairn
- Elena Rybakina [4] v Victoria Azarenka [27]
- Ekaterina Alexandrova [14] v Danielle Collins
MIAMI, USA – Elena Rybakina is bidding to reach her second consecutive final in Miami when she takes on former champion Victoria Azarenka in the women’s singles semi-finals.
 |
Elena Rybakina [4] v Victoria Azarenka [27] | H2H: Rybakina leads 3-0
After missing the chance to defend her Indian Wells title, Elena Rybakina has responded to the setback in emphatic fashion as the Kazakh is into her second consecutive final in Miami. Now Rybakina will look to go one better than last year as all her nearest rivals have failed to make the final four. Standing in Rybakina’s way is former champion Victoria Azarenka as the 27th seed has been in clinical form so far in Miami and is now looking to prove that she is capable of winning big titles at 34 years of age.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Elena Rybakina [4] v Victoria Azarenka [27] | H2H: Rybakina leads 3-0 |
| Miami 2024 | Miami, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $325,000 |
| Second on Stadium (Not before 20:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After missing out on her Indian Wells title defence, Rybakina has picked up where she left off in Miami as she is into the semi-finals in Florida.
The Kazakh has won titles in Brisbane and Abu Dhabi as well as reaching the final in Doha with the world number four searching for a third title this season.
Next for Rybakina is former champion Azarenka who has produced a clinical performance this week to reach the last four in Miami.
Now Azarenka will aim to prove she can still compete for the biggest titles in the sport as she aims to capitalize on a good start to the season.
After defeating Maria Sakkari in the quarter-finals, Rybakina spoke about the importance of recovery after such a tough match.
“I have no words because I’m so tired. But I’m really happy with the win. It was such a tough battle,” Rybakina told the WTA website.
“I got a little bit lucky with new balls, so it was easier to serve it out … now, I just need to recover. Now I don’t think it’s going to be easier physically, because with every match I get back in shape but at the same time it became tough to recover.
“For sure these tough matches help in the long run, but it’s not easy to recover even though we have this extra day. After yesterday’s match I felt a little bit the ankle and everything is kind of inflamed. We try to go through all these uncomfortable muscle pains, but the most important is to try and recover and hopefully I’m going to feel better.”
As for Azarenka, the former world number one is determined to prove people wrong and show she can still compete at the highest level.
“Where I come from and the way my career was going, one of my top motivations was to prove people wrong,” Azarenka told the WTA website.
“You say I can’t? Well, watch me. After I achieved being No.1, winning Grand Slams, winning gold medal and so many titles, and probably also becoming a parent, that motivation was not a priority for me. It’s not something that made me turn on beast mode.
“I don’t need to prove people wrong. That’s been, I wouldn’t say a challenge, but it’s definitely a searching process. I feel like this year, especially after the pretty challenging last year, I feel like I was able to at least find that space, and I’m working through that.”
Rybakina will aim to remain consistent on serve as she looks to use the forehand to force Azarenka into wider positions on the court.
Meanwhile Azarenka will use depth to generate pace on the court and force the Kazakh to play shorter balls, where Azarenka can approach the net in order to be aggressive.
From an energy perspective, Azarenka should have the advantage in this match given Rybakina’s battles in the previous rounds.
However Rybakina has the tactical edge in this match and should win this match as long as she is consistent with her gameplan.
Prediction: Rybakina in three sets.
 |
Ekaterina Alexandrova [14] v Danielle Collins | H2H: First Meeting
Ekaterina Alexandrova has been in incredible form this week with her confidence at a new high having defeated both world number one Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula. Now Alexandrova will aim to reach her first WTA 1000 final and continue her progress after a tough start to the season. Standing in Alexandrova’s way is Danielle Collins who has cruised her way into the semi-finals in a season where she is set to say goodbye to the sport.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Ekaterina Alexandrova [14] v Danielle Collins | H2H: First Meeting |
| Miami 2024 | Miami, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $325,000 |
| Fourth on Stadium (Not before 00:30 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Alexandrova has been in sensational form in Miami as she has knocked out two top five players on her way to the semi-finals in Florida.
Now in her second WTA 1000 semi-final, Alexandrova will aim to reach the final and achieve another landmark in her career.
Next up for Alexandrova is Collins who has only dropped 17 games in her last four matches as she is into the last four in Miami.
Now the American is looking to reach her first WTA 1000 final in what is her final year on the WTA tour.
Speaking after her win over Pegula, Alexandrova admitted it was a difficult match and admitted her patience in rallies is paying off.
“It was extremely difficult for me because [Pegula] played amazing,” Alexandrova told the WTA website.
“In the third set, there were sometimes the kind of rallies where I couldn’t understand how it was possible to return that ball, but it always [came] back. I just tried to play every single point [like] I knew she was going to be everywhere, so I need to do something, and I was trying to wait and use any opportunities that I got.
“Try to use the possibilities, and not be like, ‘OK, like, it’s so easy, I’m just going to hit a winner right now, right from the first one.’ You need to wait and wait and wait, and then something’s going to come and you need to use it. So I think it’s helping me right now.”
Meanwhile Collins explained that she’s not thinking about retirement too much as she looks to achieve one more big goal before her career is done.
“I don’t really think about it that much, to be honest,” Collins stated to the WTA website.
“As a professional athlete you’re so consumed in your day-to-day and your routines, getting ready, preparing, recovering, maintaining your strength, all of the things that go into our day-to-day. I don’t really have a lot of time to be, `Well, I’m retiring at the end of the year, so yeah, I think I don’t have as much pressure on me because I only have a few more tournaments left.
“Or I could sit there and be like, `Well, I’ve only got a few tournaments left. If I don’t do this now, what the heck am I doing?’ I don’t know. But it’s a good question. I’m still trying to figure it out too.”
Alexandrova will aim to remain aggressive from the baseline while extending the rallies with her backhand.
Meanwhile Collins will look to be aggressive and proactive on return as aims to force Alexandrova behind the baseline.
This will be a match between two aggressive players but also two players who are smart with their shot selection.
Collins’ recent momentum and motivation starts her as favourite although Alexandrova is hardly lacking confidence given her recent wins.
Prediction: Collins in three sets.
How to Watch/Follow Miami 2024
| Live Stream | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
| Live Scores | Tennis Scores Powered By TNNSLIVE |
 Sign up to PBLC for free to support ongoing contributions from Britwatch Sports |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |