Three-time Miami Open champion Victoria Azarenka finally defeated the determined Yu with a score of 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-3 after nearly three hours of fighting. Yulia Putintseva, semifinalist. . Fourth seed Elena Rybakina is the highest seed remaining in the tournament. She withstood a strong challenge from Greek eighth seed Maria Sakkari and finally won Won 7-5, 6-7 (4/7) and 6-4. Azarenka, 34, who won titles in Miami in 2009, 2011 and 2016, had to deal with not only the Moscow-born Kazakhstan’s spirited performance but also technical issues that led to a lengthy match. Time interruption situation.
In the fourth game of the first set, the game was suspended for 45 minutes due to a power outage that affected referee communications and the Hawkeye system.
Azarenka saved three set points on Putintseva’s serve in the first set at 5-4, and then missed two set points at 6-5 before the tiebreak.
Putintseva dominated the second set, but Azarenka found her strength in the third but her opponent refused to let up, fighting for match point before breaking serve.
But Azarenka held serve in the next game to secure a spot in the semifinals and keep her hopes of a fourth Miami title alive.
“Yulia played great, she was in really good shape and I really had to dig deep. I felt like my legs were giving in a little bit and I lost a little bit of confidence because she was playing so well and getting me moving all over the place, “Azarenka said.
“But I’m happy that I was able to regroup, readjust and really take advantage of the opportunity, step up and be aggressive and face the challenge,” she said.
Azarenka said the win demonstrated her unquestionable desire to compete at the highest level.
“I’m motivated to compete and pursue my dreams. I’ve been on tour for 20 years and I still feel like I’m improving, which is priceless to me and I want to keep going,” she added.
Belarusian Azarenka will compete with Rybakina for a spot in the final.
The 24-year-old Rybakina was the youngest player remaining in the tournament and she needed to give it her all to survive the two-hour, 48-minute tussle with Sakkari.
Rybakina led 6-5 in the first set and the match looked headed for a tie-break, but Sakkari’s serve abandoned her at a crucial moment and she was beaten by a shot from the Kazakh, who was beaten in last year’s Miami final. The free throw winner broke serve. .
Sakkari led 4-2 in an error-heavy second set, but allowed Rybakina to win the next three games and had to save two match points.
The Greek grabbed the winner in the tie-break, but Rybakina, who looked to have ankle problems, eventually broke serve at 3-3 on the third break point.
Sakkari’s determination allowed her to save four match points from 3-5 down, but this time Rybakina ended the match on her own serve.
“It was a tough battle, like before. I’m really happy, but now I just need to recover,” Rybakina said.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and third seed Coco Gauff have all been eliminated.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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