The World No. 40, who had not previously won a set in six previous meetings with Top 10 opponents, withstood a remarkable 22-point winning streak on serve by Rybakina. From 5-3, 30-15 in the first set to 1-0 in the third, the two-time Miami finalist did not concede a point behind her delivery, including all 16 points in the second set.
But Krueger has a delivery of her own to match. Indeed, the similarities between the two players have been long noted by fans, who have dubbed the 20-year-old American “Baby Rybakina.” Both are tall — Krueger stands at 6-foot-1 compared to Rybakina’s 6-foot-0 — and base their games around clean, devastating power hitting. And, of course, those serves.
Speaking to press afterward, Krueger laughed when she was told of the nickname. She had been unaware of it until now, an indication that she is perhaps among the less chronically online players on tour. She couldn’t fail to see the reasons for it, though.
“Big serves, big returns,” she said of the two game styles on court. “I knew there weren’t going to be a ton of long points. So a lot of serves, first balls — who was going to get on top of the point quicker.”
And despite Rybakina’s streak, Krueger’s first delivery proved more effective. She won 81% of her first-serve points compared to Rybakina’s 67%. Krueger was also able to raise her level at key moments in the home stretch of the contest. She finally snapped Rybakina’s service streak at 1-1 in the decider, and a couple of points later found a screamer of a forehand winner to sustain the pressure.
Not that Krueger had even been aware of Rybakina’s dominant stretch. The press conference was the first she learned of the 22-point streak, and she laughed again when told.
“I knew she was serving well, so … I just tried everything I could to get the ball in play,” she said.
Two games later, she’d broken Rybakina for the first time since the opening set — a lead that proved decisive, particularly after Krueger saved the only break point she faced in the third set to reach 5-3.
Krueger has been building up to this win over the first two months of the season. She opened 2025 with back-to-back WTA 500 quarterfinal runs in Brisbane and Adelaide, then broke through to reach her first WTA 500 final in Abu Dhabi in February. She’s now at a career-high ranking, and thrilled to keep her momentum going on home soil.
“It just shows the work I’ve been putting in is really meaningful and coming together on court, and that’s all I can ask for,” she said. Next up will be No. 26 seed Leylah Fernandez, who came from 5-3 down in the first set to defeat Alycia Parks 7-6(1), 6-3. Krueger has won two out of three matches against Fernandez, including a terrific 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 barnburner in the Abu Dhabi quarterfinals.
