Saturday brings the beginning of the third round at the Miami Open, a WTA Premier Mandatory event, and the competition looks set to heat up considerably as a result. Expect tough matches, upsets and no shortage of unmissable tennis. But who will book their place in the last 16 in the Sunshine State?
Ashleigh Barty vs Samantha Stosur
Head to head: Barty 0-1 Stosur
Two Aussies, separated in age by more than a decade, will square off in the third round in Miami. Last time they played, also in Miami two years ago, Stosur took an easy victory. But, they are very different players today and a routine victory doesn’t seem likely to be in store for either. However, Barty’s numerous successes so far in 2019 should give Stosur pause.
The 22-year-old Barty has won 18 of her last 22 matches and looks certain to break into the top ten sooner rather than later. Stosur may have taken confidence from beating American Madison Keys in the second round at the Miami Open, but squandering a 4-0 lead in the second set doesn’t bode well. Barty would surely punish such profligacy. If Barty maintains her recent form and makes more than 70% of her first serves, the match is hers.
Prediction: Barty in 2
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Daria Kasatkina vs Venus Williams
Head to head: Kasatkina 2-1 Williams
Venus Williams is winning matches – even with her serve on the fritz. Indeed, even without her biggest weapon, she has shown moments of brilliance, reminiscent of the high level that once propelled her to the world #1 ranking. But, mere moments later, Williams looks like she can barely move, letting playable shots pass her by. It’s obvious that Venus has the will to win and if will alone were enough, we could crown her Miami Open champion today. But question marks over her fitness remain.
While Daria Kasatkina has had some challenges this year, her opening win against 15-year-old American Cori Gauff shows she means business at the Miami Open. In her post-match interview, the 22-year-old Russian said she prefers to know her opponent’s game, though that did not hold her back as she swept the young American aside for the loss of just five games.
But considering Williams’ legendary status in the sport, the 38-year-old’s game was probably a page in Kasatkina’s training manual. And this will be their fourth meeting. Kasatkina is the fresher and seemingly more confident of the two. She’ll also be coming into this match with a solid game plan designed to remove the elder Williams sister from her path. Expect her to do just that, even if it doesn’t prove entirely straightforward.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
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Monica Niculescu vs Caroline Wozniacki
Head to head: Niculescu 0-9 Wozniacki
The only time Monica Niculescu got past Caroline Wozniacki was in Luxembourg in 2016, thanks to a walk over. All nine times they have made it to the court, the Dane has won. So, how could you ever predict anything other than a straight sets win for Wozniacki? Well, Niculescu has the ability to surprise and disrupt her opponents, with her unpredictable slice forehand a particularly useful weapon in that regard.
That variety was on full display as she sliced and diced her way through Indian Wells quarterfinalist Garbine Muguruza after a tough three-set battle. She’ll surely be looking to use that confidence-building win to help her pull off her second upset of the tournament when she takes on Wozniacki. But, Wozniacki is one of the best counter-punchers in the sport, ready and able to keep every ball in play, wearing down the shots and the confidence of Niculescu. It’s not likely to be an easy win, but expect it to be a win nonetheless for Wozniacki.
Prediction: Wozniacki in 3
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Naomi Osaka vs Hsieh Su-wei
Head to head: Osaka 2-0 Hsieh
It will be interesting to see what lessons Hsieh learned during her loss to Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open earlier this year. The Japanese superstar was down a set and a break before she course corrected, reeling off 11 straight games to continue her march towards the title at Melbourne Park. Osaka called Hsieh’s style of play “weird”, and it is not entirely hard to see why. Rather unconventional, but also extremely crafty, Hsieh will offer up deft drop shots and tricky slices as well as deploying solid two-handed strokes off both wings.
To make matters even trickier for her opponents, when she is down, Hsieh readily adopts a ‘nothing to lose’ mentality and goes for broke. It’s precisely at those times when Hsieh is at her most dangerous. Osaka, meanwhile, hasn’t been playing her best and looked short of focus at times during her 6-0 5-7 6-1 win over Yanina Wickmayer in the second round. Hsieh may well be able to disrupt the Japanese’s rhythm from the baseline and do not doubt that she will capitalize on any drop in level. An upset looks to be on the cards.
Prediction: Hsieh in 3
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