Victoria Azarenka took another step toward her fourth Miami Open title by notching a 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-3 victory over Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan on Tuesday to reach the semifinals at Miami Gardens, Fla.
No. 27 seed Azarenka, from Belarus, will face either No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina or No. 8 Maria Sakkari in the semis. Those two women were slated to play Tuesday night.
Azarenka overcame five double faults to knock off Putintseva, who had five aces in a match that took two hours and 55 minutes.
“It was definitely tough,” Azarenka told the Tennis Channel. “The second set, I felt flat and I had some chances that I didn’t convert. My legs started to give in a little bit.
“I was happy that I was able to reset and regroup and put my head together and be aggressive and not let her do what she likes to do.”
There was a 45-minute delay in the opening set due to a power outage.
Azarenka won the Miami title in 2009, 2011 and 2016. This is her fifth time reaching the semis. She lost in the 2018 semifinals to eventual champion Sloane Stephens.
–Field Level Media