Elena Rybakina nearly added another title to her collection this year, but fell just short at Indian Wells.

She reached the final but lost to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a deciding tie-break. It was another close match between the two players, continuing a series of tight contests between them. Even though she didn’t get the win, Rybakina played well throughout the tournament and showed why she’s considered one of the top players on tour.

While Rybakina has never won in Miami, she’s often put together strong performances there in the past.

There are doubts about whether she can go far this year, but Rybakina feels that the Florida conditions could actually work in her favour.

Elena Rybakina feels ready for Miami Open challenge

Rybakina heads to Miami in good form, having reached the final of Indian Wells, and she believes she has a good chance of winning the event.

Rybakina is one of the WTA Tour’s finest hard court players. She won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2022, and also has two appearances in Australian Open finals under her belt.

This year alone, Rybakina has taken on Aryna Sabalenka three times. They are clearly building quite a rivalry that could be one of the best in tennis over the next few years.

Speaking in a pre-tournament interview, she said: “The city has a lot of nice restaurants and a lot of things to do. And generally I like Miami, the atmosphere and the courts.”

Rybakina believes the quicker courts in Miami could help her, especially compared to Indian Wells.

“They are a bit faster than Indian Wells, which is good for my game, so I am super excited to be here,” she added.

“I have twice been very close to getting the title so that gives more motivation and hunger to finally get to the title.”

The world number two lost to Petra Kvitova and Danielle Collins during those showpiece finals at Hard Rock Stadium but looks strong enough this year to go one step further.

She has only played six tournaments so far this season but reached four finals and already won two titles – an impressive return from just three months of action.

Ahead of this year’s event, she told WTATennis.com: “It’s going to be a difficult tournament for sure but I will try my best to get till the very end.”

Elena Rybakina could face some of the sport’s brightest talents in Miami

Bad weather has delayed the start of play at the Miami Open, so Rybakina is still waiting to find out who she’ll be facing in the second round.

She has, though, been placed in a section full of exciting young players.

A possible second-round meeting with Janice Tjen is on the horizon, depending on how Tjen fares against Yulia Putintseva in her opening match.

The draw also includes Sára Bejlek, fresh off her title win in Abu Dhabi, along with Australian prospect Talia Gibson and Argentine youngster Solana Sierra.

If Rybakina makes a deep run in the tournament, she’ll likely come across several of the game’s emerging stars along the way.

Read more: