Thursday features the last two men’s singles quarterfinals, as well as both semifinals in women’s singles.
Two weeks ago in at Indian Wells, Aryna Sabalenka saved a championship point against Elena Rybakina, eventually prevailing in an extended third-set tiebreak. That served as nice revenge for Sabalenka, who had lost to Rybakina in the championship match of the Australian Open, as well as at the WTA Finals. On Thursday night, we get an instant rematch between the WTA’s two best players.
The other WTA semifinal is also a rematch from January’s Australian Open, between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova.
Plus, the last two ATP singles quarterfinals will be played, as Jannik Sinner faces Frances Tiafoe, and Alexander Zverev takes on Francisco Cerundolo.
Here’s a rundown of Thursday’s singles matches (in chronological order, all times local):
Frances Tiafoe (19) vs. Jannik Sinner (2) – 1:00pm on Stadium Court
Amazingly, Sinner has now claimed 28 consecutive sets at Masters 1000 events, dating back to the Paris Masters in October. He faces a fitter and skinnier Tiafoe, who as per Mark Knowles on Tennis Channel, spent the off-season in a 75-day training block that saw him drop over 20 pounds. That hard work has paid off, as Frances is 15-6 on the year, and finds himself in a Masters quarterfinal for the first time since 2024. However, he is 1-4 against Sinner, with his only victory coming five years ago on an indoor hard court. And the Italian has won his last six Masters quarterfinals.
Coco Gauff (4) vs. Karolina Muchova (13) – Not Before 3:00pm on Stadium Court
Two months ago in Melbourne, Gauff overcame Muchova in three sets. That brought her record against Muchova to 5-0, with her four prior victories all coming via straight sets. But Gauff has struggled her way through this tournament, requiring three sets in all four of her matches, and advancing without possessing her top form. By contrast, Muchova has not dropped a set in Miami, and is a superb 18-3 this season, having already won a WTA 1000 title in Doha. So this is a good opportunity for Muchova to notch her first victory over Gauff.
Francisco Cerundolo (18) vs. Alexander Zverev (3) – Not Before 7:00pm on Stadium Court
Cerundolo was a bit of kryptonite for Zverev early in their head-to-head, winning their first three encounters. However, those all came on clay, and Zverev has now taken the last three, all on hard courts. Both players have relinquished only one set through three rounds, though Cerundolo has endured a tougher draw, having already eliminated Daniil Medvedev and Ugo Humbert. The average ranking of Zverev’s opponents to this stage is No.98 in the world. But Sascha certainly owns the experience edge at this stage of Masters events, with a record of 24-12 in Masters quarterfinals (as per Tennis Abstract), including victories in his last four. Francisco is just 2-5 in this round of Masters tournaments.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Elena Rybakina (3) – Not Before 8:30pm on Stadium Court
Overall this rivalry stands at 9-7 in Sabalenka’s favor, though Rybakina has won three of their last five meetings. Sabalenka’s dominance over everyone except Rybakina continued on Wednesday, with a straight-set victory over Hailey Baptiste. Aryna hasn’t lost a set to anyone except Rybakina since early November. Elena is 21-4 on the year, after defeating Jessica Pegula on Wednesday in three sets.
Coming off their extremely-tight matches at both the Australian Open and Indian Wells, I give the advantage to Sabalenka on Thursday. Her escape two weeks ago in their dramatic Indian Wells final felt like the kind of match that could have a lasting impact on this rivalry.
Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.
