MIAMI, March 27 (UPI) — Aryna Sabalenka swatted booming serves and consistently muscled returns out of Jasmine Paolini’s reach in a straight-sets domination of the Italian on Thursday to reach her first Miami Open final.
The Belarusian needed just 71 minutes to dispatch her semifinal foe 6-2, 6-2 at Hard Rock Stadium.
“I’m super happy,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “I’m super happy I was able to give myself another chance, another final and another opportunity to hold a trophy. I’m super excited for another final. I can’t wait to play.”
Sabalenka, ranked No. 1 in the world, will meet No. 4 Jessica Pegula of the United States or No. 140 Alexandra Eala of the Philippines in the women’s singles final Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Sabalenka, who never trailed in the semifinal, edged her No. 7 foe 6-3 in aces and 4-0 in break point conversions. She totaled 31 winners against 12 unforced errors, compared to 19 winners and nine errors from Paolini.
“She’s an incredible player,” Sabalenka said of Paolini. “I knew I’d have to work for every point against her. I focused on my serve.”
Sabalenka will face Pegula or Eala at 12:30 p.m. EDT Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. The men’s singles final will be at the same time Sunday in Miami Gardens.
Pegula and Eala will play Thursday night in the other women’s singles semifinal. The two men’s singles semifinals will be Friday.
