Kazakhstan's women's tennis team leader, Elena Rybakina, discussed the semi-final match at the Miami Open against former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka. Rybakina, the current world No. 4, secured victory over the two-time Grand Slam champion in three sets - 6:4, 0:6, 7:6. She made history by becoming the youngest player to reach the Miami final twice in a row since Maria Sharapova, achieving this feat at the age of 24 years and 285 days, compared to Sharapova who did it at 18.
Rybakina expressed her appreciation for the support and highlighted the amazing atmosphere during the match. She acknowledged the challenging battle and her journey to the final, referring to the tournament as a marathon from day one. Rybakina set an unexpected record in Miami by losing 69 games on her way to the final, surpassing Bianca Andreescu and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
In the final, Rybakina will go head-to-head against American Danielle Collins, who emerged victorious over Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the other semi-final. Collins, currently ranked No. 53, shared her thoughts on the upcoming final with Rybakina, stressing the tough matches they have played in the past and the thrill of competing in such high-stakes encounters.
Collins, a two-time WTA tournament champion, will be entering her first WTA-1000 final. She previously clinched titles at the WTA-500 in Palermo in July 2021 and the WTA-250 in San Jose in August of the same year. The impending showdown between Rybakina and Collins promises to be an electrifying battle between two exceptional players performing at the peak of their abilities.
