Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who’s searching for to turn into the fifth girl to win again up the Indian Wells title with the Miami crown, got here by way of two rollercoaster units and a few rain delays to beat Jessica Pegula 7-6(3) 6-4 of their semi-final.
Neither participant was in a position to settle into their serve however Moscow-born Rybakina, who now represents Khazakhstan, got here out on high in a tense tiebreak earlier than edging the second set to file her thirteenth straight win.
“I used to be taking part in significantly better after I was down,” Rybakina mentioned on court docket after her first win over Pegula in three conferences. “First set was very powerful. The tie-break might go each methods.”
Rybakina’s opponent within the closing will probably be both twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who beat Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 3-6 6-3, or unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea.
Earlier on Thursday, Medvedev ended the dream run of American qualifier Christopher Eubanks with a formidable 6-3 7-5 victory in a rain-interrupted match to achieve the semi-finals of the event for the primary time.
The fourth-seeded Russian trailed 3-2 within the first set earlier than rain stopped play however when the match resumed half-hour later he was a person on a mission, successful the subsequent 5 video games and by no means trailed once more.
Medvedev broke Eubanks for a fourth time to seal the win on his third match level when the American despatched a forehand smash broad because the red-hot Russian prevailed 6-3 7-5 and has now gained 22 of his previous 23 matches.
“I did not play my finest earlier than (the rain delay). The rain helped me exit and have extra power,” mentioned Medvedev. “It helped me and I solely performed higher and higher, other than one unhealthy sport on my serve, however it occurs.”
Medvedev will subsequent face fellow Russian Karen Khachanov, who superior with a 6-3 6-2 win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.
This story has been revealed from a wire company feed with out modifications to the textual content. Solely the headline has been modified.