Aryna Sabalenka battled past Hailey Baptiste in two sets to book her spot in the Miami Open semi-finals.

Sabalenka’s run through the Sunshine Double continued with another solid performance, decided by just two breaks of serve.

It’s the third meeting between them already this season, with both players trading victories across their previous encounters.

Following her win in Miami, Sabalenka matched a milestone last achieved by Serena Williams 10 years ago, further highlighting her strong form this year.

Sabalenka matches Serena Williams’ Miami semi-final record

According to OptaAce, Sabalenka is the first player in 12 years to reach four consecutive semi-finals at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

The last person to pull that off was Serena Williams, who put together her run between 2014 and 2016.

During that stretch, Williams claimed two Miami Open titles. However, she fell short at Indian Wells, reaching the semi-final in 2015 and finishing runner-up in 2016 after losing to Victoria Azarenka.

Sabalenka’s run has included both trophies. She captured the Miami title in 2024 by beating Jessica Pegula in the final.

She then followed it up a year later with her first Indian Wells title, beating Elena Rybakina in the process.

Aryna Sabalenka’s outstanding start to the season

While a number of WTA players have struggled to find their form early in the year, Sabalenka has been a clear exception in 2026.

Her only defeat so far was to Rybakina in the Australian Open final, but outside of that match, she’s looked sharp from January through March.

Sabalenka holds a 21-1 record for the season, including title wins at both the Brisbane International and Indian Wells.

With just two more matches needed to add another trophy to her collection, it’s hard to see her grip on the top spot slipping any time soon.

Even with Rybakina performing well this season, there’s still more than 2,000 ranking points separating her from Sabalenka at number one.

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