MIAMI — With Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova booking their spots n the semifinals of the Miami Open Tuesday, the final two will be determined in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. 

World No. 2 Elena Rybakina and No. 5 Jessica Pegula will encounter for the third time this season, while reigning champion and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka will face a red-hot Hailey Baptiste, who eyes a major upset for her second WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz semifinal.

Here’s everything to know about Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchups:

Rybakina vs. Pegula

Head-to-Head: Rybakina leads 5-3
Last meeting: Rybakina d. Pegula 6-1, 7-6 (4) at 2026 Indian Wells quarters

Why Rybakina? This matchup has become quite the common occurrence as of late, with Wednesday’s meeting being the third this year on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz and fifth since September, including Billie Jean King cup. Rybakina has won the last four against Pegula, including the semifinals of the 2025 WTA Finals and 2026 Australian Open, both of which the Kazakh ultimately lifted the champion’s trophy. 

In Miami, Rybakina hasn’t dropped a set, not conceding more than four games in any of them. On serve, she’s only been broken once, saving six of the seven break points she has faced. Pegula however has broken Rybakina eight times combined in their last three matchups, but if Rybakina can hold as she commonly does, it’ll keep Pegula at bay.

“Definitely I need to serve well,” Rybakina said. “That’s my biggest weapon, and try to be fresh and move well because here it’s a little bit faster than last match we played at Indian Wells. The ball doesn’t bounce as much”

On the line: From last year’s Miami Open, Rybakina could win her 16th match against a top 10 player in the PIF WTA Rankings. Only Sabalenka (17) has more.*

Why Pegula? Aside from Rybakina and Sabalenka, Pegula has arguably been playing as one of the top three players on tour right now. Aside from a quarterfinal defeat, to Rybakina, at Indian Wells, she had a stretch of seven consecutive tournaments where she reached the semifinals, including her run to the Dubai title in February. 

The American is serving incredibly, coming into the tournament ranked fifth in aces, and she’s now reached her fifth straight Miami quarterfinal. Pegula can compete with Rybakina, and each of their last two meetings has seen the second set go to a tiebreak that Pegula just fell short. 

“I wish I was playing her a bit later in the tournament, but she’s kind of the player to beat right now,” Pegula said of Rybakina. “Between Aryna and her, I think they are the two best players in the world right now when they’re at their best.

“Just going to have to figure out something different that I can do to hopefully take it a little bit further and try at least get a set or get the win next time we play.”

On the line: With a win, Pegula could reach her eighth semifinal in her last nine tour-level events.

Sabalenka vs. Baptiste

Head-to-Head: First career meeting

Why Sabalenka? The World No. 1 Sabalenka has been a formiddable opponent for anyone, having just lost one match this season (Australian Open final to Rybakina). She’s already claimed two trophies in Brisbane and Indian Wells, and with a win in Miami, she can sweep the Sunshine Double and defend her crown from a year ago. 

Aside from the WTA Finals in Riyadh (where there’s only eight participants), she’s reached 15 straight tournament quarterfinals, and last lost to an unseeded opponent in the semifinals of Berlin last June. Her power stacks up well against player on tour, and that will be a key factor against an opponent who also thrives on her serve.

“I feel like my team already have a game plan, but tomorrow, we’re definitely going to watch some tennis,” Sabalenka said. “We’re going to have a hit and prepare as good as possible for the match.

“I’ve been watching couple of games of her. She’s playing great tennis. Great variety in the game, great serving.”

On the line: If Sabalenka wins in straight sets, she’ll have 10 consecutive victories at the Miami Open at two sets to love. Only Serena Williams has more with 11 from 2002 to 2003.*

Why Baptiste? The World No. 45 is the lone unseeded player remaining in the Miami field, and she’ll have her first crack at a World No. 1 matchup. Defeating three seeded players in [19] Liudmila Samsonova, [9] Elina Svitolina and [25] Jelena Ostapenko so far, Baptiste has won four straight main draw tour-level matches for the first time in her career.

All four wins has been in straight sets, and she notched 11 aces vs. Ostapenko. She’s yet to the face the power of Sabalenka, but she’ll have nothing to lose as this is just her third tour-level quarterfinal. Though she did not have a first-round bye like the other quarterfinalists, her 103 winners are most of any player. 

“I think that I’ve always believed that, and I’ve always known that I know what I can do on the court,” Baptiste said. “There’s a few things that I need to fix and get better at, and I think I’ve just paid more attention to that and focused on those things a little bit more, and just taking my time and trusting the process.”

On the line: With a win, Baptiste is guaranteed to equal her best finish at a WTA event, reaching the semifinals in Abu Dhabi during the Middle East swing.*

Data courtesy of OptaFacts

CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — A new alert system in Rhode Island, designed to notify the public when adults with disabilities are reported missing, went live earlier this year.

This week marks one year since the case that inspired the new system: a 45-year-old autistic woman who disappeared in Cranston and was found days later curled up in the back of a car.

Once a person is confirmed missing, local police work with state police to issue a Purple Alert, which appears on highway message boards, television and radio broadcasts, and through news and social media.

Cranston Police Major Todd Patalano, who helped develop the legislation, said the goal is to ensure the public is aware of a missing person. (WJAR)

Cranston Police Maj. Todd Patalano, who helped develop the legislation, said the goal is to ensure the public is aware of a missing person.

“We can put out a broadcast, and this person has a very high likelihood of being found expeditiously,” he said. “When you see a Purple Alert, an Amber Alert, a Silver Alert, we want people to pay attention and start looking.”

The system was used for the first time on March 16 in Smithfield when a 16-year-old boy was reported missing.

Police worked with Rhode Island Emergency Management and state police to issue an alert.

A Rhode Island Energy employee spotted the boy on Douglas Pike and flagged down officers searching nearby.

Police said it’s unclear whether the Purple Alert directly led to the tip, but public awareness played a key role.

Advocates say not all parts of the alert system may have been fully utilized in that case, raising questions about implementation. But officials say that’s expected with any new system.

“It does not appear that all components of the PURPLE alert notification system were fully utilized in this situation, particularly the broad public notification aspect,” the Ocean State Center For Independent Living said in a statement to NBC 10 News. It added it “raises important questions about implementation.”

“As with any case, there’s always going to be kinks,” Patalano said, adding he’s “confident” alerts will be issued quickly when needed.