TENNIS: Sabalenka sails past Rybakina to set up Miami Open final against Gauff

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka eased past Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the Miami Open final, where she will face Coco Gauff. The world number one is chasing a place in history as she bids to become the fifth woman to complete the “Sunshine Double” after her title win at Indian Wells.

Sabalenka capitalized on a series of errors from Rybakina to take the opening set and then stormed ahead 4-0 in the second. Although world number two Rybakina, who defeated Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January, fought back, Sabalenka closed out the match comfortably.

“I really enjoy our rivalry. She’s an incredible player,” Sabalenka said. “I think I did everything right. She played great, but I pushed her so much.”

Earlier, Gauff delivered a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Karolina Muchova to reach her sixth WTA 1000 final. The American world number four lost the opening game to Muchova but responded immediately, winning the remaining games to take the first set 6-0.

Muchova, 29, had been in strong form this season, having won the Doha title, but unforced errors allowed Gauff to break three times in the second set and complete a convincing victory. Gauff extended her perfect head-to-head record against Muchova to 6-0.

Gauff and Sabalenka will meet on Saturday in their 13th career encounter. The pair have split their previous 12 meetings, with Gauff winning last year’s French Open final and Sabalenka taking the most recent clash at the WTA Finals.

-Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City and Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon and Peter Rutherford/Reuters