Miami, the final is Kvitova-Rybakina: Cirstea and Pegula fold in the semi-finals

Only one match separates Elena Rybakina from the Sunshine Double, back-to-back wins for the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami. Between the Kazakh tennis player, ranked 7 in the world, and the trophy of the California Open will be Petra Kvitova, the WTA number 12, who reached her second final thanks to her semi-final victory over Sorana Cirstea. Rybakina, who is on the pace for 13 consecutive successes, seems to have already cleared the most thorny hurdle on her way to the title, world number three Jessica Pegula, who eliminated her in two sets in the semi-finals.

Lena again

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Rybakina was also the first to qualify for the final (scheduled for Saturday at 7pm). The Australian Open finalist beat Pegula 7-6(3) 6-4, making her fifth victim of a third in a row — a journey that began in last year’s Wimbledon final, when she defeated Ons Jabeur. However, this match was more complicated for her than the score tells us, with the American several times ahead in the score and the unexpected addition of a rain delay in the middle of the tiebreaker (“We really could have had a winner at the end of the match”) for Rybakina said. However, this is his third final of the season (as a favourite), while he is one step clear of goal which cements Pegula’s reputation as a regular, but not so tangible champion when it comes to fighting for the title.

Kvitova is thirty

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The big surprise of this tournament was Sorana Cirstea (No. 74), who managed to eliminate Australian Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka. But the 33-year-old Romanian was stopped by 33-year-old Petra Kvitova, who defeated her 7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour 42 minutes. Kvitova took a long time to fight, as the opponent, in the early stages, was able to create more problems, thanks to his deadly power with a left forehand, and thanks to the weight of experience in the big stages. The turning point came when Cirstea missed an opportunity to serve for the first set. Kvitova snatched a break, and the Romanian collapsed leaving her eight straight points and then paving the way towards the final. “It’s unbelievable, it’s a surprise for me that I made it to the final,” Kvitova said after the match, who will now have the chance to win her 30th WTA title. We’ll have to beat one of the fittest guys in the ring.