Rybakina, Pegula lead the final eight

MIAMI — The quarterfinals are set at the Miami Open. After a day of upsets that saw World No.1 Iga Swiatek and No.3 Coco Gauff bow out, here’s how the Final Eight will shake out at Hard Rock Stadium:

Top Half

[14] Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. [5] Jessica Pegula
[23] Caroline Garcia vs. Danielle Collins

Bottom Half

[8] Maria Sakkari vs. [4] Elena Rybakina
[27] Victoria Azarenka vs. Yulia Putintseva

The bottom half will play on Tuesday, with the top half closing out the quarterfinals on Wednesday. 

Kicking off a mouthwatering slate, we preview the bottom half of the draw:

[8] Maria Sakkari vs. [4] Elena Rybakina

Head-to-head: Rybakina leads 2-1. 

The World No.4 was a win away from sweeping the Sunshine Double last year, falling just short in the Miami final to Petra Kvitova. She’s started out the year in fantastic form, winning titles in Brisbane and Abu Dhabi and making the final in Doha, where lost to Swiatek. 

“I think the year started really well for me, maybe not at the Grand Slam, but overall I played really well in the matches. It was a pity to miss Indian Wells but overall I think we’re in a good road. 

“Here, already it’s a great week for me because I didn’t have much preparation for this tournament and I’m getting better and better with each match.”

Rybakina did not get the chance to defend her Indian Wells title two weeks ago, having to withdraw from the tournament due to illness. She says she’s still working on getting back to 100 percent, but she’ll be buoyed by her last performance. After scrapping through two tight three-setters against Clara Tauson and Taylor Townsend in her first two rounds, Rybakina looked back to her devastating ways in a 6-3, 7-5 win over 17th seed Madison Keys in the Round of 16.

“It’s the best match I played here, just energy wise and serve,” Rybakina said. “She’s an aggressive player so I knew I had to step in on the first ball. 

“Still not at my best and after the first two rounds I have a little bit of muscle pain. But in the end, I’ve improved with better form with each match.”

The turnaround from Indian Wells hasn’t been kind to Sakkari over the last two seasons. She had lost her last three matches in Miami, almost all coming after deep runs in California. 

But this year, after making her second Indian Wells final, the Greek star has quietly moved through the draw to make her first Miami quarterfinal since her semifinal run in 2021. With wins over Yuan Yue, Dayana Yastremska and a Round of 16 walkover from Anna Kalinskaya, Sakkari is through without losing a set. 

“I’m going to be facing a player who hits the ball hard, is aggressive, and will go for it,” Sakkari said. “I just have to play my game, stay patient, but at the same time stay aggressive. Just keep doing what I’ve been doing and play more my game than their game. I’m very positive and I feel like my game is in a good place right now.”

[27] Victoria Azarenka vs. Yulia Putintseva

Head-to-head: Azarenka leads 2-0.

No one left in the draw knows what it takes to win Miami like Azarenka. She’s a three-time champion at the tournament in 2009, 2011 and 2016 — yes, all the wins came when the tournament was at Crandon Park — but Azarenka has rediscovered the vibes at Hard Rock Stadium.

“I always loved the energy here. I miss the energy at Key Biscayne also, but for the tournament to get bigger it was a necessary move. I definitely think that was the right choice. I feel the latin vibe very much also here. I have a lot of friends here and that motivates me also.”

Azarenka has quietly put together a solid start to the year. It started with a Brisbane semifinal, continued with a Round of 16 at the Australian Open, and carried it forward with a Doha quarterfinal. After an early exit in Indian Wells, she’s looked dangerous in Miami. After a gritty three-set win over Peyton Stearns in the second round, she’s earned her first Top 10 win of the year over Zheng Qinwen. She followed it with another straight-set win over Katie Boulter. 

Azarenka is undefeated against Putintseva, but both their previous matches went down to the wire. She won 11-9 in the third set at the 2021 Melbourne 500 and 7-5 in the third last year in Doha. 

“Yulia played really good in Indian Wells so she’s in good form,” Azarenka said. “We practice quite a lot together. It’s going to be a tough match. She’s a player who brings all kinds of shots into the rally so it’s going to be an interesting match.

“She’s a tough competitor and she can get crazy, but she’s a really nice person outside of the court. She’s a very nice, straightforward person. On the court, it can get crazy, but I respect her as a competitor for sure.”

As for Putintseva, she’s playing with house money in Miami. Ever since her bags were stolen while she was en route to Indian Wells, Putintseva has been a dangerous draw during the Sunshine Double. After a Round of 16 showing in Indian Wells, she’s into her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2022 Toronto.