Aryna Sabalenka defeated Qinwen Zheng 6-2 7-5 on Tuesday to seal her place in the last four of the Miami Open.

The world number one got the job done in one hour and 36 minutes against the reigning Olympic champion, in what was a repeat of last year's Australian Open final.

Sabalenka will now take on Jasmine Paolini for a place in the final, as she looks to reach the showpiece matches of back-to-back WTA 1000 competitions after her defeat to Mirra Andreeva at the Indian Wells Open earlier this month.

Paolini, a two-time grand slam runner-up, is the only Italian woman to have reached the semi-finals in Miami.

This will also be Sabalenka's first appearance in the last four of the tournament, with the top seed having to recover from three successive breaks of serve in the second set.

However, from 4-2 down, Sabalenka surged into a 6-5 lead, and a swift hold clinched victory.

3/3 - Aryna Sabalenka is the fourth player to reach the sfs at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami the same year as World No. 1 after Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Serena Williams. Trips.#MiamiOpen | @MiamiOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/itDpmRKSXx

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) March 26, 2025

Data Debrief: Sabalenka matches the greats

Sabalenka is only the fourth player to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open, Indian Wells Open and Miami Open in the same year, while holding the status as the WTA's world number one.

The other names on that list? Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Serena Williams.

Sabalenka holds a 3-2 head-to-head record against Paolini ahead of their clash on Thursday.