Three to See: Can Chris Eubanks' Cinderella run continue? Plus: Elena Rybakina vs. Jessica Pegula in the semis

Tennis Channel Live Preview: Elena Rybakina vs. Jessica Pegula

Elena Rybakina vs. Jessica Pegula

Rybakina is 20-4 on the year, and Pegula is 19-5, but it feels as if Rybakina is having the season that Pegula was set to have when it began. In January, Pegula beat Iga Swiatek in an Australian Open tune-up, and she was seeded third in Melbourne. But it was Rybakina who knocked off Swiatek there, and nearly won the title. Since then, Rybakina has won another top-tier title in Indian Wells, and she’ll ride a 10-match win streak into this quarterfinal.

But while Rybakina has the edge in current form, Pegula has the advantage in their head-to-head. She beat Rybakina in routine fashion in Miami last spring, and in not-so-routine fashion later in the year in Guadalajara, 10-8 in a third-set tiebreaker. Any time they play, Rybakina will be the aggressor, the risk-taker, and the bigger server. Pegula, meanwhile, will counter with depth and accuracy and sneaky flat pace. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, though, and right now that’s Rybakina. Winner: Rybakina

Karen Khachanov vs. Francisco Cerundolo

Call them the quiet quarterfinalists. While Carlos Alcaraz has monopolized Hard Rock Stadium and Chris Eubanks has been the story of the week, Khachanov and Cerundolo have been laboring on the outer courts, far from the media’s radar. Which is too bad, because each has recorded a significant upset: Cerundolo over No. 5 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, Khachanov over No. 2 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Now the 16th-ranked Russian and 31st-ranked Argentine will try to do something rare for them: Make a Masters 1000 semifinal.

They’ve played once, last year on hard courts in Canada, and Khachanov won in three competitive sets. He’s higher-ranked, has the better serve, and hits the heavier ball, which makes him the favorite. But Cerundolo is the better mover, and has the more versatile forehand, and he likes the Argentine support in Miami. It took him to the semifinals here last year. Could it do the same this time around? Winner: Cerundolo

UPDATE: Khachanov wins, 6-3, 6-2

Daniil Medvedev vs. Chris Eubanks

The 26-year-old, 102nd-ranked Eubanks has already had a career week in Miami. After barely surviving his final qualifying match, 7-6 in the the third set, the Atlanta native has won four main-draw matches in a row for the first time, and made himself the story of the tournament.

But he’ll need more than a good story to record victory No. 5. So far he hasn’t faced a seed; now he’ll be up against the fifth-ranked Medvedev, a player who has won 22 of his last 23 matches. The good news, perhaps, for Eubanks is that he and Medvedev have never played, so whatever he does will be new to the Russian. It will also help that, at 6’7”, he should be able to match the 6’6” Medvedev in the serve department.

How will Eubanks’ one-handed backhand hold up against Medvedev’s relentless steadiness? Can Eubanks take advantage of Medvedev’s deep court position by serving-and-volleying, the way his friend Frances Tiafoe did in Indian Wells last week? Let’s find out. Winner: Medvedev

UPDATE: Medvedev wins, 6-3, 7-5