World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka booked a ticket in her first Miami Open final with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 6 seed Jasmina Paolini on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium, never losing serve to advance to her 12 career WTA 1000 final.
Miami: Draws | Scores | Order of play
Miami is now something of a home tournament for Sabalenka, who resides in South Florida — and told reporters earlier in the tournament that she loves to be able to sleep in her own bed, drive her car, and even do laundry when competing at the tournament. But whether at the tournament`s previous home in Key Biscayne or now in Miami Gardens, Sabalenka could never previously find the comforts that come with familiar confines, only twice reaching the quarterfinals in six appearances.
But after breaking new ground with a 6-2, 7-5 win over No. 9 seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals — her seventh win to zero losses against the reigning Olympic gold medalist — another favorable match-up against Paolini helped Sabalenka push through to a match she`s always wanted to play. The three-time major champion has now won her last three meeting with the Italian, all without the loss of a set.
Sabalenka never trailed against Paolini, and the match was only tied twice — at 1-1 in each set. She served six aces, broke the Italian`s serve four times, and wrapped up victory in 1 hour and 11 minutes to advance to face either No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula, or teenage wild card Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, in Saturday`s final.
In the last 20 years, Sabalenka — who lost to Mirra Andreeva in the BNP Paribas Open final — is the sixth player to reach the final at Indian Wells and Miami in the same season after Kim Clijsters (2005), Maria Sharapova (2006, 2012, 2013), Victoria Azarenka (2016), Iga Swiatek (2022) and Elena Rybakina (2023).
More to come…
