Rybakina completes 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win
American slumps to fifth straight defeat to Kazakhstani
Jessica Pegula had her chances. Midway through the second set of yet another enormous match with Elena Rybakina, the American had engineered a flawless start. After bulldozing through the opening set, Pegula’s level at the beginning of set two put her in with a fair shot of snatching a win against her Kazakhstani opponent, who has dominated their recent meetings.
Instead, Pegula departed Miami with another tough lesson to parse through after being shown once again that the best players in the world pounce on even the smallest drops in intensity. Despite her mediocre start, Rybakina produced a brilliant comeback to reach the Miami Open semi-finals with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
There is no doubt that Rybakina is in the best form in her entire career and, having compiled a tour‑leading 21 matches in 2026, she has become difficult to beat in the biggest events. Since following up her WTA Finals triumph in November by winning her second grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, Rybakina has continued to play at a high level in March.
