Sabalenka beat 14th-ranked Czech Noskova 6-3, 6-4 and Rybakina downed Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-4 to set up a mouth-watering rematch of their Melbourne final.
Rybakina also beat Sabalenka in the 2023 championship match in Indian Wells – where the Belarusian star has come up empty in two prior trips to the final.
Sabalenka, who has been in imperious form in the California desert this year, fired 37 winners with 11 aces, applying relentless pressure from the baseline in a commanding win over Noskova.
“I think I really played great tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I was serving well. I was playing well. I like the way I put her under pressure on her serve.”
Rybakina, who is set to rise one spot to number two in the world on Monday, had too much firepower for ninth-ranked Svitolina, who was coming off a three-set win over two-time champion Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals.
Rybakina recouped an early break in a tight first set and seized control with a break for 6-5, her steady pressure on Svitolina’s serve provoking too many mistakes from the Ukrainian.
Rybakina won seven straight games from 4-5 down in the first, breaking Svitolina twice on the way to a 4-0 lead in the second set.
The experienced Svitolina made her keep grinding, saving a match point on her own serve then saving another on the way to a break for 5-3 as she won three straight games.
But Rybakina made no mistake as she served for the match a second time, nabbing her 12th straight victory over top-10 opponents.
Although she trails Sabalenka 8-7 in their career head-to-head, she has won their past two meetings, in the title match of last year’s WTA Finals and at the Australian Open – where she claimed her second Grand Slam crown.
Despite those recent successes Rybakina was expecting a battle on Sunday.
“We played so many times, and I think it all depends on close moments, which we usually have – whoever steps in, plays more aggressive, more solid,” Rybakina said. “It’s going to be a difficult match.
“We’re both going to try to serve well, that’s for sure, put pressure… we will see what’s going to happen.” (AP)
Edited by Thomas McAlinden
