And then there were four.

Friday is women’s semifinal day in Tennis Paradise, with a pair of blockbuster matches set to take place in Stadium 1. A rematch of the 2023 final - and this year's Australian Open final is looming - but two challengers stand in the way.

[1] Aryna Sabalenka vs Linda Noskova [14]

World No. 1 Sabalenka arrived in the California desert on a mission to win her first title here, and she has flawlessly navigated her way to the semifinals.

On Thursday, she handled a difficult challenge from 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko with a pitch-perfect performance. Next she’ll take on hard-hitting 21-year-old Linda Noskova, a player who is performing like a future Top 10 talent this week in Tennis Paradise.

Noskova, seeded No. 14, last faced Sabalenka in the 2023 Adelaide final. Noskova was just 18 at the time and still managed to hold her own in the 6-3, 7-6(4) loss.

“That was my breakthrough tournament,” she said. “I was 18 back then. It was a shocker to step on court with someone like her. Just to play someone like that was a big deal for me back then. Tomorrow I will try to feel as normal as possible, like it would be a first round.”

Having reached the final and lost twice, in 2023 and 2025, Sabalenka is motivated in more ways than one to win the trophy this year. When told that the last seven women’s singles champions were 23 or younger, she said: “I'll take it as motivation to break this [streak].”

[3] Elena Rybakina vs Elina Svitolina [9]

Streamlined tennis and gargantuan groundstrokes and serves have helped Rybakina win 27 of her last 30 matches, including a title at last year’s WTA Finals and this year’s Australian Open. After holding off No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula on Thursday, 6-1, 7-6(4), the 2023 champion sets her sights on No. 9 seed Elina Svitolina.

It won’t be an easy battle. Svitolina, who defeated No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek on Thursday to reach her second semifinal in the desert, owns a 3-3 lifetime record against Rybakina, including a win in their most recent meeting on the red clay of Madrid last year.

“She's playing more aggressively and trying to step in on some shots and put pressure on,” Rybakina said. “She reads the game well.

“I will try to focus on my serve, because it's a weapon and I really need to use it well, and then of course try to fight and find a way so hopefully I can win this match.”

The Ukrainian carries fine form into 2026 — she has won 19 of 22 matches and chalks her success up to a productive three-month offseason working on minor details, with plenty of rest mixed in.

“The time that I took, firstly mentally, made a big difference for me because I was overwhelmed,” she said. “I was just tired, drained completely. It refreshed my mind massively, because after being so overwhelmed I was ready again to face difficult situations and find this fire inside of me, because I think that's what drives me.”