Bianca Andreescu will not complete the Sunshine Double after retiring in her round of 16 match, but the battle for WTA No. 1 remains alive in Miami. Who will advance to the penultimate round?
WTA Miami Quarterfinal Predictions
Su-Wei Hsieh vs Anett Kontaveit
Head to Head: Kontaveit 1-0 Hsieh
Both players had to dig deep to reach the final eight. At 33 years of age, Hsieh is playing the best tennis of her life and her unconventional style has rattled both a big hitter like Naomi Osaka and a rock-solid player such as Caroline Wozniacki in consecutive rounds. Basically, she can trouble any opponent these days. Meanwhile, Kontaveit just completed her first three-match winning streak of 2019. The Estonian is sitting at a career high ranking of world No. 19 and her forehand instills fear. However, Hsieh is far better player than when they first met in Guangzhou four years ago.
Prediction: Hsieh in 3
Karolina Pliskova vs Marketa Vondrousova
Head to Head: first meeting
When she first broke into the professional scene in 2017, it looked like Vondrousova was going to take the tour by storm. That certainly hasn’t happened, yet. Still a teenager, the Czech has been red hot since the Australian Open, reaching the Budapest final, advancing to the Indian Wells quarterfinals and (almost) replicating such strong results on the east coast. It looks like the explosion of even younger prospects like Bianca Andreescu, Dayana Yastremska, and Amanda Anisimova has encouraged Vondrousova to find her A-game. Will it suffice to upend her veteran compatriot? Tough call.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Qiang Wang vs Simona Halep
Head to Head: Halep 1-0 Wang
The Romanian is still failing to inspire much confidence in this post-Darren Cahill era, but she has not lost in straight sets since her season debut in Sydney. In other words, once a warrior always a warrior. While she has never won the Miami trophy, the fact she could recover the No. 1 ranking with a triumph at the Hard Rock Stadium might be the motivation she needs to raise her level. Wang has been impressive so far, especially in her 6-4 6-0 rout of 2017 champion Johanna Konta. Nevertheless, I believe Halep will extend her head-to-head lead.
Prediction: Halep in 2
Petra Kvitova vs Ashleigh Barty
Head to Head: Kvitova 4-0 Barty
Kvitova dominates the rivalry, including a commanding 6-1 6-4 win at this year’s Australian Open. Merely a week before, in the Sydney final, Barty won more points but was defeated nonetheless. Stakes are high for both competitors in South Florida, as the Czech could climb to the top of the WTA leaderboard for the first time ever and the Australian could make her top 10 debut on Monday. As much as she has improved her consistency of late, I think Barty falls short once again and Kvitova takes a massive leap toward the No. 1 ranking.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
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