Elena Rybakina overcame a slow start, frustrations and an “attitude” problem to defeat Jessica Pegula in the quarter-final at the Miami Open.
The world No 2 was broken twice in the opening set, and she had words with her coach Stefano Vukov while the Pegula was serving for the set at 5-2, while she also had to save break points in the opening game of the second set and in game five.
But an attitude adjustment and some technical changes helped her to turn things around as she broke in game six of the second set to take it to a decider before a single break in the opening game of the third set sealed a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in two hours and 15 minutes.
During the post-match press conference, the reigning Australian Open champion admitted: “I didn’t start well at all and got frustrated with my mistakes, I started rushing and couldn’t control my attitude.”
Rybakina added: “In the second set, I needed to stop, take a breath, and change the dynamics. I’m happy I could turn it around.”
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As the game progressed, the Kazakh’s net play also improved and she managed to pull off some great volleys, which will no doubt delight her coaches after the hard work at practice.
“A couple of times, I got lucky. It was a very difficult shot but I’m happy that somehow I’m staying at the net, and I feel here probably it helps even more to finish the rallies.
“Overall, the coaches are pushing me to come to the net more because whenever I come, most of the time you win the points.”
It will be world No 1 against world No 2 in the semi-final as Rybakina faces Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated world No 42 Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 6-4.
The pair have already met twice so far in 2026 with Rybakina winning the Australian Open in three sets before Sabalenka hit back at the Indian Wells Open with that match also going the distance.
“I feel like the season is not even halfway yet, and it’s great to play against Aryna always pushing each other, and you can see what you need to improve,” Rybakina stated
“…It’s going to be another challenge, where I will need to serve well and really take care of my game, knowing that on the other side, she can hit a lot of good shots, also winners, good serve.
“I’ll try to focus on myself more, try to stay somehow fresh for the match, and we’ll see again what’s going to happen.”
The post Miami Open: Elena Rybakina makes confession about her attitude after argument with coach appeared first on Tennis365.
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