World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has advanced to the Miami Open final, where she will face Jessica Pegula on Saturday, after ending the dream run of teenage sensation Alexandra Eala in the semi-finals.
Sabalenka Dominates Paolini to Reach First Miami Final
The 26-year-old Belarusian, a three-time Grand Slam champion, maintained her flawless form in Miami, cruising past sixth seed Jasmine Paolini with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Sabalenka, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament, was in top form, overwhelming Paolini with her powerful serves and relentless groundstrokes. This marks her second consecutive final appearance, following her runner-up finish at Indian Wells earlier this month, where she lost to Mirra Andreeva.
“Super happy that I was able to give myself another chance, another final, another opportunity to hold a trophy,” Sabalenka said after the match.
“She’s an incredible player, so I knew I had to work for every point.”
This is Sabalenka’s fourth final in 2025, having won the Brisbane International in January before suffering defeats at the Australian Open (to Madison Keys) and Indian Wells (to Andreeva).
Pegula Battles Past Teen Sensation Eala
Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula fought hard to overcome Alexandra Eala in a thrilling 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-3 semi-final victory.
The 19-year-old Filipino had a remarkable tournament, making history as the lowest-ranked semi-finalist in Miami Open history at World No. 140. Eala, a graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy, stunned the tennis world by defeating three Grand Slam champions—Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and World No. 2 Iga Świątek—on her way to the final four.
Eala put up a strong fight against Pegula, battling for two hours and 24 minutes and forcing a deciding set after breaking the American three times in the second. Despite the loss, her performance in Miami guarantees her first-ever entry into the WTA Top 100 next week.
“To have a week like this, the stars need to align—and they did this week. My goal now is to keep this up,” Eala said after the match.
With Sabalenka chasing her first Miami Open title and Pegula looking to capitalize on home-court advantage, Saturday’s final promises to be an electrifying showdown.
