MADRID -- World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka came back from the brink to keep her title defense alive at the Mutua Madrid Open, defeating No.4 Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in the semifinals on Thursday night. The victory put Sabalenka into her third Madrid final and ended Rybakina's 16-match clay-court winning streak. 

Sabalenka will face World No.1 Iga Swiatek in a rematch of last year's final on Saturday. Last year, Sabalenka won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to capture her second Madrid title. It will be the 10th career meeting between the two and the first showdown between the World No.1 and No.2 this season.  

Tale of the tape: Entering the match, Sabalenka held a 5-3 edge in the head-to-head, but Rybakina had won three of their last four meetings, including a dominant straight-set win in the final of the Brisbane International in January.

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Match notes: Coming off a dramatic match-point-saving win over Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals, Rybakina was nearly untouchable in the first set. Serving at 75 percent, the tour's ace leader played a clean, methodical set to beat Sabalenka with pace and depth from the baseline. She pocketed the set in just 24 minutes, hitting seven winners to just three from Sabalenka. 

But Sabalenka grew in confidence after a string of love service holds in the second set. She has enjoyed a resurgence in Madrid, making her first semifinal since her Melbourne triumph. Her rousing three-set win over Danielle Collins in the fourth round ended the American's 15-match winning streak. She followed it with a resounding straight-set win over Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. 

"I was struggling a lot on my serve in the first set, and definitely, easy games on my serve gave me a bit more belief that I still got some chances in this match," Sabalenka said. "That's kind of gave me an extra energy to keep fighting and keep trying on her serve to break her and get back in the match."

Turning point: Sabalenka earned her first break of the match to get back on serve at 4-4 in the second set and nearly recovered from a 0-40 deficit in the next game. But Rybakina's depth and width put Sabalenka on the run once again. The 2022 Wimbledon champion broke for a fourth time but could not serve out the win. Serving at 5-4, 30-30, Rybakina pulled a short forehand well wide and then, on break point, pushed a tired backhand long to give Sabalenka the game. 

"Probably that was the key moment," Sabalenka said. "That's why I'm saying, I don't know how I was able to come back in this match. Probably she missed her opportunities. I used my opportunities. Yeah, that's it."

With her comeback hopes reinvigorated, Sabalenka overpowered Rybakina to seal her run of three straight games to take the second set. After hitting just three winners in the first set, Sabalenka clocked 16 in the second.

The third set rolled with the server through the first 10 games before Rybakina broke through to earn the first break points of the set. Sabalenka wiped both chances away and then, with her fourth ace of the match and a line-clipping forehand winner, held to lead 6-5. After dodging Rybakina's final surge, Sabalenka raced through the tiebreak to seal the win over 2 hours and 17 minutes. 

Sabalenka finished the big-hitting match with 35 winners to 29 unforced errors. Rybakina struck 31 winners to 23 unforced errors.

Stat of the match: Sabalenka improved to 6-0 over Rybakina in three-set matches. The win ended Rybakina's 12-match win streak in deciding sets.