Kvitova advances to face Rybakina in Miami Open women’s final | CBC Sports

No. 15 seed Petra Kvitova beat unseeded Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-3 on Friday in the second women’s semifinal at the Miami Open, setting up a matchup with the red-hot Elena Rybakina.

Kvitova won six straight games in all, taking the first set and going up a break and 2-0 in the second.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who has won 13 straight matches, including the Indian Wells title last week, beat American Jessica Pegula in straight sets in a rain-delayed match that ended late Thursday night.

The final is set for Saturday.

Medvedev wins all-Russian semifinal

Daniil Medvedev hasn’t won a title in the United States since capturing the 2021 U.S. Open, when he turned away Novak Djokovic’s bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam.

Now the Miami Open’s No. 4 seed is one victory from a fresh American title, beating fellow Russian Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals Friday, the same day Wimbledon announced Russians will be allowed back — with conditions.

Medvedev has won 23 of his last 24 matches — the lone loss to now-world No. 1 Alcaraz — and is in his fifth straight final.

Medvedev has been friends with the 14th-seeded Khachanov since childhood, and they’re each fierce baseliners, with one rally lasting 31 shots.

Medvedev needed a tiebreaker to win the first set, serving it out with the first of 13 aces in the match. Proving a little more consistent in the second set, Khachanov forced a third by breaking Medvedev’s serve early to go up 2-0.

But Medvedev owned the third, surviving an early breakpoint when Khachanov hit a loose backhand into the doubles alley for a rare unforced error.

Medvedev broke Khachanov in the next game to go up 3-1 and a won a wondrous 26-shot rally on match point. Khachanov picked up a drop shot, then retrieved a shot from the baseline between the legs before his friend put away the winner.