<p>Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina out-lasted 76th-ranked Karolina Muchova 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the WTA and ATP Masters 1000 at Indian Wells.</p>.<p>Rybakina, runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open in January, had all she could handle from the oft-injured Muchova, who had also reached the quarter-finals at Dubai last month but had to withdraw with an abdominal injury.</p>.<p>She took advantage as Muchova's serve speed dropped in the final set but needed three match points to close it out, wasting two with a pair of backhand errors as Muchova held serve in the penultimate game.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tennis/panic-attack-ends-tsurenkos-indian-wells-as-raducanu-marches-on-1199984.html" target="_blank">Panic attack ends Tsurenko's Indian wells, as Raducanu marches on</a></strong></p>.<p>Rybakina then fell behind 0-30 on her serve, but polished it off after two hours and 45 minutes with her sixth ace of the day.</p>.<p>"It was a really tough match today," said Rybakina. "I served much better in the third. I didn't start that well, I was a bit slower than usual.</p>.<p>"In the important moments I played well," added Rybakina who next faces either world number one and defending champion Iga Swiatek or 83rd-ranked Romanian Sorana Cirstea.</p>.<p>Swiatek, winner of the French and US Opens last year, is vying to become just the second woman, after Martina Navratilova in 1990 and '91, to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles.</p>.<p>Rybakina is one of three players to beat Swiatek this year, having shocked the Polish star in the round of 16 at the Australian Open.</p>.<p>Muchova took advantage early as Rybakina struggled to get her big serve going, breaking the Moscow-born Kazakh for a 3-2 lead in the opening set.</p>.<p>Rybakina had her chances, but was unable to convert her first five break points against the Czech.</p>.<p>But a bad mistake by Muchova, who botched an easy overhead on a set point in the 10th game, gave Rybakina an opening. She went on to break and held at love to take a 6-5 lead, but she, too, was unable to convert a set point.</p>.<p>Muchova held to force the tiebreaker, but finally surrendered the set with a whimper as she double-faulted on Rybakina's second set point.</p>.<p>Unfazed, the Czech stormed through the second set without facing a break point. She broke Rybakina on the way to a quick 3-0 lead and broke her again in the final game to force the third.</p>
<p>Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina out-lasted 76th-ranked Karolina Muchova 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the WTA and ATP Masters 1000 at Indian Wells.</p>.<p>Rybakina, runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open in January, had all she could handle from the oft-injured Muchova, who had also reached the quarter-finals at Dubai last month but had to withdraw with an abdominal injury.</p>.<p>She took advantage as Muchova's serve speed dropped in the final set but needed three match points to close it out, wasting two with a pair of backhand errors as Muchova held serve in the penultimate game.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tennis/panic-attack-ends-tsurenkos-indian-wells-as-raducanu-marches-on-1199984.html" target="_blank">Panic attack ends Tsurenko's Indian wells, as Raducanu marches on</a></strong></p>.<p>Rybakina then fell behind 0-30 on her serve, but polished it off after two hours and 45 minutes with her sixth ace of the day.</p>.<p>"It was a really tough match today," said Rybakina. "I served much better in the third. I didn't start that well, I was a bit slower than usual.</p>.<p>"In the important moments I played well," added Rybakina who next faces either world number one and defending champion Iga Swiatek or 83rd-ranked Romanian Sorana Cirstea.</p>.<p>Swiatek, winner of the French and US Opens last year, is vying to become just the second woman, after Martina Navratilova in 1990 and '91, to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles.</p>.<p>Rybakina is one of three players to beat Swiatek this year, having shocked the Polish star in the round of 16 at the Australian Open.</p>.<p>Muchova took advantage early as Rybakina struggled to get her big serve going, breaking the Moscow-born Kazakh for a 3-2 lead in the opening set.</p>.<p>Rybakina had her chances, but was unable to convert her first five break points against the Czech.</p>.<p>But a bad mistake by Muchova, who botched an easy overhead on a set point in the 10th game, gave Rybakina an opening. She went on to break and held at love to take a 6-5 lead, but she, too, was unable to convert a set point.</p>.<p>Muchova held to force the tiebreaker, but finally surrendered the set with a whimper as she double-faulted on Rybakina's second set point.</p>.<p>Unfazed, the Czech stormed through the second set without facing a break point. She broke Rybakina on the way to a quick 3-0 lead and broke her again in the final game to force the third.</p>