Elena Rybakina is feeling “calm” about her rapid rise that has seen her blast into her fourth semi-final of the season with a maiden top-five victory over Karolina Pliskova in Dubai on Thursday.
Rybakina, who was ranked 192nd a year ago and is now up to 19 in the world, knocked out Pliskova 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 to secure a semi-final date with Croatia’s Petra Martic.
No.8 seed Petra Martic saved a set point in the opening set of her quarter-final before sealing a 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 victory over Anett Kontaveit.
The 20-year-old Russian-born Kazakh Rybakina is the in-form player of the women’s tour at the moment, having made three finals in four tournaments contested in 2020 heading into Dubai.
Rybakina lifted the trophy in Hobart last month, and was runner-up in Shenzhen, as well as in St Petersburg last week.
She now owns a tour-leading 18 wins this season, against just three losses, and is sitting at the helm of this year’s ace leaderboard with 126 aces struck in 21 matches.
“I’m always calm,” said the confident Rybakina, who arrived late to Dubai after competing in the St Petersburg final indoors on Sunday.
“I’ve been going just match by match because I had nothing to lose. It was really difficult for me to come just from indoors. I was tired physically. So I was focusing on every match.”
Pliskova, a runner-up in Dubai in 2015, gave full credit to her opponent and heads to her next event in Doha feeling good about her own game.
“I thought it was kind of okay from both of us. I thought she played really well, especially on all of my chances,” said the Czech world No.3.
Rybakina was joined in the last four by Jennifer Brady, who reached the first Premier-level semi-final of her career with a battling 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 victory over two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza.
The 24-year-old American, ranked 52, picked up a sixth consecutive win in the Emirates, having battled through qualifying before upsetting Elina Svitolina, Marketa Vondrousova and recent Australian Open finalist Muguruza.
Brady’s next target is either top-seeded Simona Halep or seventh-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who square off later on Centre Court in Dubai.