Aryna Sabalenka surged into the first final of her career at the Miami Open with a 6-2 6-2 win over Jasmine Paolini in 1 hour and 11 minutes. Sabalenka never dropped her serve to reach her 12th WTA 1000 final.
Sabalenka earned two breaks in each set to become the sixth player to reach the final at Indian Wells and Miami in the same season after Kim Cljisters (2005), Maria Sharapova (2006, 2012 and 2013), Victoria Azarenka (2016), Iga Swiatek (2022) and Elena Rybakina (2023).
Sabalenka has extended her lead to 4-2 in her head-to-head matches against Paolini.
Sabalenka will face either Jessica Pegula or 19-year-old Alexandra Eala from the Philippines. If Pegula wins her semifinal, she could play against Sabalenka in a re-match of the 2024 US Open final. Sabalenka is aiming to win the first Miami Open title of her career in her second consecutive WTA 1000 final after finishing runner-up to Mirra Andreeva in Indian Wells.
Sabalenka fired six aces converted her four break points. She hit 31 winners to 12 unforced errors, compared to 19 winners to nine errors from Paolini.
Sabalenka made a tweener, but she ended up losing the point as Paolini made an easy lob at the net.
The Italian player earned four break points but she was not able to convert them.
Sabalenka saved a break point in the first game. Paolini hit a forehand volley into the net to face a break point in the fourth game. Sabalenka hit a crosscourt return to break for 3-1. Sabalenka hit a couple of drop shot winners to open up a 3-1 lead. Sabalenka broke for the second time with a couple of backhand drives down the line to seal the first set 6-2 after 36 minutes. Sabalenka won 16 of her 21 first serve points.
Sabalenka raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second set. She fended off two break points to hold for 5-2. The 2024 Australian Open and US Open champion earned three match points with a return winner. She booked her spot in the final with a forehand down the line. “Jasmine is an incredible player. I knew I’d have to work for every point against her. I focused on my serve. I tried to stay as low as possible. She was hitting pretty flat and deep balls so you gotta stay low. I was focusing on my movement and serve. Super happy with the level I played”, said Sabalenka after the match.
