Elena Rybakina delivered the defining result of Tuesday, March 25 at the Miami Open, recovering from a slow start to beat Jessica Pegula 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and move into the semifinals.
It was another reminder of how dangerous Rybakina can be on hard courts when she settles into a match, and it extended her winning streak against Pegula to five matches. Reuters also noted that the victory sent Rybakina into the Miami semifinals for the third time.
For one set, this looked like Pegula’s night. The American was sharper early, redirected pace well, and kept Rybakina from establishing any rhythm off the baseline. But once the match moved into the second set, Rybakina began serving with more authority and striking through the court with far more conviction.
The balance shifted slowly, then completely. By the final stretch of the third set, Pegula was under constant pressure, and Rybakina looked like the player dictating the terms of the match.
That comeback set up the marquee semifinal on the women’s side: Aryna Sabalenka against Rybakina. Sabalenka reached the last four with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Hailey Baptiste, continuing the form that has already made her one of the dominant players of the season. Reuters reported that Sabalenka entered the matchup with a 21-1 record on the year and remained on course for the Sunshine Double after winning Indian Wells.
The matchup with Rybakina gives Miami exactly the kind of late-stage showdown a major WTA 1000 event wants: two elite ball-strikers, two big serves, and two players fully capable of taking over a tournament.
The other women’s semifinal carries a very different kind of intrigue. Coco Gauff advanced by defeating Belinda Bencic 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the Miami Open semifinals for the first time. Reuters reported that the win made Gauff the youngest American woman to make the Miami singles semifinals since Serena Williams in 2004.
She will face Karolina Muchova, who earned her place in the final four with a straight-sets win over Victoria Mboko on Monday. Muchova’s run to her first Miami semifinal has added another layer to a draw that now features both proven star power and tactical variety.
On the men’s side, Jiri Lehecka ended Martin Landaluce’s breakout run with a 7-6(1), 7-5 victory in the quarterfinals. ATP Tour said the Czech reached his second Masters 1000 semifinal with the win, while Landaluce’s tournament still stood as one of the week’s most important stories.
The Spanish qualifier had arrived in the last eight after knocking off Sebastian Korda, and even in defeat, his Miami run felt like a genuine step forward rather than a brief surprise.
Later in the day, Arthur Fils produced one of the most dramatic escapes of the tournament, saving four match points to beat Tommy Paul in a three-set thriller. ATP Tour described the result as Fils’ first Masters 1000 semifinal, and the match itself had the feel of a turning point performance: high-level shotmaking, nerve under pressure, and a finish that swung from near-defeat to breakthrough.
With Lehecka and Fils advancing, the men’s draw suddenly carried a fresher look than many would have expected when the event began.
What made March 25 stand out was not just the quality of the matches, but the way the tournament’s shape sharpened in a single day. Rybakina turned a shaky start into the biggest comeback on the women’s side. Sabalenka kept her title charge on track. Gauff broke through to a home semifinal.
On the men’s side, Landaluce’s run ended, but not before confirming his arrival as a serious name to watch, while Fils and Lehecka pushed into the spotlight. By the end of the night, Miami had gone from a strong tournament to one packed with semifinal storylines worth following.
