World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has secured her place in the Miami Open final for the first time, delivering a dominant performance against No. 6 seed Jasmina Paolini. Sabalenka triumphed 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium, maintaining a perfect serve throughout the match and advancing to her 12th WTA 1000 final.
For Sabalenka, Miami is practically a home tournament. Residing in South Florida, she mentioned enjoying the comforts of home during the competition, like sleeping in her own bed and driving her own car. Despite this familiarity, reaching the Miami final had been elusive for Sabalenka until now, with only two prior quarterfinal appearances in six attempts.
Sabalenka broke new ground by defeating No. 9 seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals, marking her seventh consecutive victory against the Olympic gold medalist. Continuing her strong form, she overcame Paolini, securing her spot in a final she has long aimed for. The three-time major champion has now won her last three encounters with Paolini without dropping a set.
Sabalenka remained in control against Paolini, with the score only level at 1-1 in both sets. She fired six aces, broke Paolini`s serve four times, and sealed the victory in 1 hour and 11 minutes. Her next challenge will be No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula in Saturday`s final. Pegula ended the impressive run of teenage wild card Alexandra Eala from the Philippines.
Over the past two decades, Sabalenka joins an elite group of players, including Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina, as the sixth player to reach the finals of both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season. Notably, Sabalenka was a finalist at Indian Wells this year, losing to Mirra Andreeva.
“I would say this was one of my best matches this season,” Sabalenka commented after her victory. “I was extremely focused on my game plan and what I needed to do. Everything felt smooth and in my favor. I`m very happy with my performance and felt like I was in the zone.”
Pegula Overcomes Eala in Thrilling Night Match
In the evening session, Jessica Pegula battled for 2 hours and 26 minutes to defeat Alexandra Eala, concluding Eala`s remarkable journey in Miami as Thursday turned to Friday. Pegula rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the first set, crucially breaking Eala`s serve at 5-3 and again at deuce, to eventually win 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3.
The intense three-set match extended past midnight local time, featuring a strong comeback from Eala after being down a set and a break. In the third set, both players held serve for the first seven games without facing a break point.
Pegula, who also won a late-night match against Emma Raducanu earlier in the week, found the resilience to win the final three games against Eala, including holding serve from 0-30 to secure the match.
“I`m so tired,” Pegula admitted in her on-court interview, acknowledging the tough challenge posed by the young Eala, who had previously upset Madison Keys and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the tournament.
“She is incredibly talented, a fantastic player who attacks the ball early and competes fiercely. She has already defeated many top players this week, and it`s clear we will be seeing much more of her. She proved her talent tonight.”
Looking ahead to Saturday`s final, Pegula faces Sabalenka with a 2-6 head-to-head record. She will be aiming for her fourth WTA 1000 title. Pegula lost to Sabalenka in two significant hard-court finals last year in Cincinnati and at the US Open in straight sets, although three of the four sets in those matches were closely contested and reached 7-5.
“I feel like my serve has improved,” Pegula noted. “Serving well will be crucial on Saturday against Aryna. Her return game is excellent.”
“My return has also been strong, so I believe I have a chance to break her serve, even though she is one of the best servers in the world. She is a tough opponent, playing with great confidence and favoring faster hard courts where she can dictate with her aggressive style.”
“I had opportunities at the US Open, leading 5-3 in the second set. Who knows what might have happened if I had capitalized. I know I will create chances if I play well, and I will focus on learning from our previous matches and making the most of those opportunities.”
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth