Former world No 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov has broken down why he thinks Elena Rybakina will find it difficult to play her best tennis at the 2026 Miami Open.
Rybakina climbed to a new career-high ranking of world No 2 on Monday after she was a runner-up at the Indian Wells Open last week.
The two-time Grand Slam champion was beaten 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) by world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling championship match in Tennis Paradise after having a match point in the third set tiebreak.
The 26-year-old Kazakh will aim to win her maiden title at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami, where she will face either Janice Tjen or Yulia Putintseva in her opening match.
Rybakina was a Miami Open runner-up in 2023 and 2024, and she holds a 12-5 record from her five previous appearances at the event.
Speaking on the Hard Court podcast, Kafelnikov gave his verdict on the favourites to win the Miami Open women’s singles title.
“Even in [the Indian Wells] final, it was noticeable that she (Sabalenka) was a little out of control,” said the two-time Grand Slam winner. “That won’t happen in Miami. In Miami, if you hit it there, the ball will always go inside the court.
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“I’m more inclined to say Sabalenka will win than, let’s say, [Elena] Rybakina.
“I think that Sabalenka’s chances are preferable. Even [Iga] Swiatek has better chances than Elena.
“Elena will have a bit of a hard time because the balls will be heavy, and they’re going to get heavier and heavier with every point.
“It’s going to be very hard for her to hit those flat shots.”
Rybakina is seeded third in Miami as the seedings were determined before the latest WTA Rankings update, and she is projected to meet Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
Sabalenka, who is the defending Miami Open champion, is vying to complete the Sunshine Double for the first time in her career.
Iga Swiatek, the world No 3 and second seed in Miami, is chasing her second title at the tournament in South Florida after her victory in 2022.
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