Aryna Sabalenka had her hands full with Hailey Baptiste in their quarterfinal Wednesday night in Miami, but she found the timely breaks she needed to close out the first set and again in the second to seal a resounding 6-4, 6-4 victory in 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Miami: Scores | Draws | Order of play

The win sends her to the semifinals in the 305 for the second straight year and sets up a 17th career meeting with Elena Rybakina at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level.

“I think it’s definitely going to be a battle,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “It’s always a battle, always a fight, always a challenge. And I think we push each other to the limit, and we always bring the best tennis. I hope that it’s really enjoyable for you guys to watch us play and I’m super excited (to be) playing her again.”

Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 9-7 and won their most recent encounter in the Indian Wells final two weeks ago, saving a match point before lifting the trophy and beginning her pursuit of the Sunshine Double.

But before she could look ahead, the World No. 1 had to get through her first meeting with Baptiste, and the American was more than up to the challenge, pushing Sabalenka throughout before the defending champion pulled through.

Here’s how Sabalenka continued her march to back-to-back Miami titles and kept her Sunshine Double aspirations on track:

Putting Baptiste in high-pressure spots: Baptiste did well to not only stay in the match but go toe-to-toe with the World No. 1. In the end, though, Sabalenka again showed why she holds that ranking — albeit in a more measured way than usual.

Instead of overwhelming Baptiste from the start, she maintained her trademark aggression while slowly letting the match tilt in her favor. She won the points she needed, saving three break points in the opening set to repeatedly put Baptiste in unenviable positions. The first example came after Sabalenka held for 5-4 in the first set, leaving Baptiste to serve to stay in it. 

Despite playing at a high level throughout the opener, the 24-year-old finally cracked, with an ill-timed double fault handing Sabalenka the set.

The pattern repeated in the second. Down a break, Baptiste showed grit to break back for 4-4, but after Sabalenka held for 5-4, the American again got tight, committing three double faults to give Sabalenka her first match point. Moments later, Sabalenka uncorked a crosscourt forehand winner to close out the match.

Clinical ball-striking: Calling Sabalenka’s ball-striking a key to victory may feel like a cop-out, as she’s built her career on being one of the tour’s most fearsome hitters, but in the biggest moments Wednesday, her precision made the difference.

The final point was one example of this, but the tone was set early. After fending off two break points in the opening game, Sabalenka ripped a forehand winner to set up game point before sealing the hold with an ace.

It was a similar story in her next service game, as she saved a break point, fired a forehand winner and went on to hold for 2-1. And, of course, she produced a signature backhand down the line to secure another critical hold at 4-3 in the first set.

The performance allowed Sabalenka — who has yet to drop a set this week — to improve to 32-1 against opponents ranked outside the Top 30 over the last 52 weeks.

Looking ahead: That stat will mean little when she renews her rivalry with Rybakina, who came from a set down to defeat Jessica Pegula for the fifth straight time earlier in the day and book her own spot in the final four.

While the World No. 2 dropped her first set of the week, she looked as dangerous as ever in victory, with the possibility of revenge looming after her devastating loss to Sabalenka in Indian Wells.

Thursday’s semifinal marks another chapter in one of the sport’s premier matchups. With it, Sabalenka and Rybakina will move past Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff for the most meetings between two active players.

And here’s a bit of history: excluding the WTA Finals, Sabalenka and Rybakina will be the first World Nos. 1 and 2 to meet before a final since Martina Hingis and Jana Novotna in the 1998 US Open semifinals.

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