The Miami Open is on to the semifinals! The second women’s semifinal of the day sees World No. 2 Elena Rybakina take on World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The match begins at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Rybakina is +108 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Sabalenka is -131.
Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina Preview
The top two players in women’s tennis face off once again, this time in a semifinal instead of a final. These two have faced off in three huge finals over the past six months. First, it was the 2025 end-of-year WTA Finals, in which Rybakina defeated Sabalenka. Then, in the year’s first major, Rybakina defeated Sabalenka again to get her second-career Grand Slam title. However, Sabalenka finally got her revenge by defeating Rybakina at Indian Wells. Sabalenka cemented that she is still the No. 1 player in the world and is now hoping to add a Miami Open title. Sabalenka leads Rybakina 9-7 in their career battles. She is now looking to make it back-to-back Miami Open titles with two more wins.
Elena Rybakina has been playing at an incredibly high level over the past year. She has been a top-10 player for awhile, but has really elevated her performance in recent months. Rybakina finally added a second major title to her trophy cabinet and earned the biggest individual paycheck in women’s sports history at the WTA Finals. Despite losing to Sabalenka in California, her level of play makes her the clear second-best player in the world. Rybakina made back-to-back Miami Open finals in 2023 and 2024, but came up short both times. She will be determined to take down Sabalenka and get a third crack at earning this coveted title.
Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina Pick, Best Bet
My best bet for this match is for Sabalenka and Rybakina to go the distance and make it a three-set match. This bet can be found at plus-money on DraftKings Sportsbook. Each of their two matches this year, in Australia and Indian Wells, have gone to a third set. These two know each other’s game so well, and they are both playing at such a high level, that there is no significant edge. Both players have a powerful serve and can go on a run to dominate a set. While both also have the ground stroke game to grind out points, games and sets.
Elena Rybakina was just challenged by Jessica Pegula in her previous match, needing three sets to defeat the American. Meanwhile, Sabalenka is basically untouchable against anyone besides Rybakina. Sabalenka has one of the most incredible runs in tennis history going, with 40 straight sets won against players not named Elena Rybakina. To wit, Sabalenka has not lost a single set in 2026 outside of her Australian Open final loss to Rybakina and the one set she lost to Rybakina in the Indian Wells final. These two are on another level than the rest of the tennis world at the moment, and they should push this match to three sets.
