Elena Rybakina defeated Madison Keys 6-3, 7-5 to reach the Miami Open quarterfinals for the second straight year.
Kazakhstan has two of the eight women left in the Miami Open quarterfinals for the first time ever. The 2023 finalist Rybakina and compatriot Yulia Putintseva play together.
Putintseva made the quarterfinals for the first time in ten Miami Opens earlier in the day. She defeated Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 7-6(5) in two hours and twenty-three minutes.
Rybakina defeated Keys and improved her 2024 record to 20-3 thanks to a strong finish.
Keys stood his ground after a winning forehand and shouted, “Come on!” to take a 5-4 lead in the second set.
When Rybakina applied the backhand crosscourt sample, Keys had difficulty. In the eleventh game, Keys dropped service after hitting a wayward backhand big.
Rybakina hammered an ace down the T to end the match in just an hour and 24 minutes.
After falling ill and having to withdraw from Indian Wells, Rybakina is regaining her strength, variety, and rhythm in Miami.
Rybakina gave her best performance of the match just now, after winning consecutive three-set matches over Clara Tauson and Taylor Townsend.
“Unfortunately, it was like eight days without anything—no health, no tennis, so it was tough to come back,” explained Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj later. “I’m still in pain from all of these matches, but I’m feeling better, and perhaps the extra day we have between bouts will help.
“So we are going to see the way it’s gonna be within the subsequent one.”
The 2022 Wimbledon champion will play two-time Indian Wells finalist Maria Sakkari in the next round for a semifinal place.
Anna Kalinskaya was the 22nd seed. She withdrew from their planned Grandstand match. This gave Sakkari a walkover into the quarterfinals.
Against Sakkari, Rybakina is 2-1 in her career, with each victory coming by three units.
It will be a difficult match, Rybakina said. “She’s assured now that she did well in Indian Wells. Everybody knows each other rather well.
“We gave a couple of concerts. Physically, I can win if I truly feel better, so my first priority is to heal right now.”
If Putintseva and Rybakina both win their quarterfinals, they will play each other in an all-Kazakhstan semifinal.
