Miami Open 2024: Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming details

Published at :March 28, 2024 at 7:08 AM

Modified at :March 28, 2024 at 7:08 AM

(Courtesy : Tennis Tracker/The Manila Times)

Rybakina has won each of her previous meetings against Azarenka.

Elena Rybakina and Victoria Azarenka are the first semifinalists of the Miami Open 2024. Both players have battled their fair share of odds this season to find themselves where they are. Rybakina was plagued by a bout of illness, forcing her to withdraw from Indian Wells — where she was defending champion and Dubai.

Finalist in the last edition and fourth seed, Rybakina ensured a return to the Miami Open semifinals with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 win over No. #8 seed Maria Sakkari on Tuesday night.

Including the 2-hour, 48-minute affair against Sakkari, the World No. 4 was stretched to three sets in three of the four matches she had played so far here. With the win, Rybakina has returned victorious in three of four fixtures against Sakkari. The Kazkh could have ended the match earlier but for losing her way momentarily and the two match point opportunities she had at 40-15 in the second set on the Sakkari serve. Sakkari forced a third set after when Rybakina’s backhand found the net at 4-6 in the second set tiebreaker.

Rybakina is the highest-ranked player in the draw after the top three were bundled out. The biggest upset was the exit of World No.1 Iga Swiatek on Monday night with a loss to World No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 16.

Victoria Azarenka is a three champion in Miami and on Tuesday, moved one step closer to her fourth title in Florida. She overcame Yulia Putintseva in a gruelling three-setter 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3 in their quarter-final clash. Azarenka clinched a fifth semi-final appearance at Miami after 2 hours and 55 minutes of play over unseeded Putintseva. Former World No.1 Azarenka lifted the trophy thrice in Miami – 2009, 2011 and 2016.

Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka match details

Date: March 29

Time: 12:30 AM IST on Friday (Tentative)

Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka preview

Azarenka is in her first semi-final in Miami since 2018 and by doing so, prevented an all-Kazakh final in Miami. Yulia Putintseva pushed Azarenka to the limit in an enthralling three-hour Miami Open quarter-final. Putintseva dominated the second set, breaking the Azarenka serve thrice to take it 6-1.

The Belarusian finally crossed the finish line in shade under three hours, extending her head-to-head to remain undefeated 3-0. Azarenka is only the third player to make the semifinals at Miami after her 34th birthday. The other two players who reached that milestone are Chris Evert in 1989 and Venus Williams in 2017.

Rybakina will be looking to bounce back and take a major win this season after getting off to a flyer earlier this year. She won titles at Brisbane and Abu Dhabi, besides making the finals at Doha. Two consecutive withdrawals later, she in with a chance to become the first Kazakh to lift the trophy at Miami and make up for her disappointing loss in the final to Petra Kvitova last year.

Head-to-head records

Matches – 3

Elena Rybakina – 3

Victoria Azarenka – 0

Rybakina has a clean slate in her head-to-head against Azarenka. All of the Kazakh’s wins have come in straight sets. The duo last played in Dubai this year, where Azarenka withdrew from their round of 32 match with the scoreline at one set apiece.

Where and how to watch the live streaming and TV broadcast of Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka, Miami Open 2024 semi-final match in India?

The women’s draw of the 2024 Miami Open, including the semi-final between Elena Rybakina and Victoria Azarenka, will be available for Indian viewers on Tennis TV and WTA TV.

Prediction

After fighting off a determined Yulia Putintseva in the quarter-final, Azarenka finds 2023 finalist Elena Rybakina in the way of a fourth Miami Open trophy.

Azarenka, with three titles at Miami in the bag, will summon all her experience when the two walk out onto the court. Her opponent is no slouch on the tennis court and is on 17-3 this season and can go toe to toe with her more experienced rival.

Azarenka is 10-5 in 2024 and has notched up her 44th win with a win over Putintseva. She also defeated World No. 7 Qinwen Zheng to score her second top-10 win of the season after Jelena Ostapenko in the Australian Open third round.

Despite her veteran status, Azarenka continues to perform consistently. She won 74.4% of service games against 81.7% by Rybakina in 2024. Both players are close in terms of first-serve points won — 69.1% to 71.9% by Rybakina. Interestingly, Azarenka has a higher breakpoint conversion rate at 48.7% than Rybakina’s 47.3% despite playing fewer matches than the Kazakh this season. Azarenka will look to curb her volume of double faults if she wishes to lift the Miami Open trophy for a fourth time.

Result: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.

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