A host of star names are set to take to the court on day seven at the WTA Miami Open, with eight fourth-round matches on the slate in Florida. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Ashleigh Barty vs Victoria Azarenka. But who will book their place in the quarterfinals in Miami?
WTA Miami Open Day Seven Predictions
Petra Kvitova vs Elina Svitolina
Head-to-head: Kvitova 7-2 Svitolina
It has been a season to forget for Elina Svitolina so far in 2021, with the Ukrainian having not yet managed to find her best tennis. She did reach back-to-back quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi and at the WTA Gippsland Trophy, but she crashed out in the fourth round at the Australian Open and managed to win just one match in Qatar and Dubai. But she has looked sharp so far at the WTA Miami Open, with Svitolina having accounted for Shelby Rogers and Ekaterina Alexandrova so far in Florida.
However, she faces a stern fourth-round test in the form of Petra Kvitova. The Czech made light work of Alize Cornet in her opener, winning 6-0 6-4, and was in a similarly imperious mood up against Johanna Konta, beating the Briton 6-1 6-2. She has also won seven of her nine previous meetings with Svitolina, albeit not their most recent encounter. Still, the conditions in Miami should favour the hard-hitting Kvitova. Expect her to reach the last eight comfortably enough.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
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Elise Mertens vs Naomi Osaka
Head-to-head: Osaka 2-1 Mertens
Naomi Osaka arrived at the WTA Miami Open having won her last 16 matches and she extended her winning streak with a hard-fought 7-6 6-4 win over Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round. That was her first match since winning the Australian Open title in February, but the Japanese’s hopes of removing any remaining ring rust took a hit when Nina Stojanovic pulled out ahead of their third-round match. That may have left Osaka a little undercooked heading into this match.
Particularly because Elise Mertens has beaten Osaka in the past and is in solid form. The Belgian reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park and backed that up with a run to the semifinals at the Dubai Tennis Championships. So far in Miami, she has picked up wins over Katie Boulter, for the loss of only five games, and Anett Kontaveit. However, the slow conditions should give Osaka plenty of time to wind up her powerful groundstrokes and when she time she can be almost unplayable.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
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Anastasija Sevastova vs Ana Konjuh
Head-to-head: Sevastova 1-0 Konjuh
This is a match that both players will surely be desperate to win, albeit for different reasons. After playing superbly between 2016 and 2018, and coming to the cusp of breaking into the top ten, Anastasija Sevastova has rather lost her way. But she played some fine tennis to get past Olga Danilovic and 31st Cori Gauff, before Simona Halep’s withdrawal handed her a place in the fourth round. Ana Konjuh, meanwhile, is on the comeback trail after a series of injuries and is looking to get back to the top of the game.
She may well be able to based on the evidence of this week. The Croatian opened her campaign with a 7-6 7-5 win over Katerina Siniakova, before dismissing the challenge of Madison Keys. She then scored her biggest win since returning to the tour by edging out Iga Swiatek in three. That will surely have given her real confidence heading into this match and rightly so. If Konjuh can replicate the level she displayed in beating the Pole, expect her to prove too strong for Sevastova.
Prediction: Konjuh in 2
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Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Sakkari 1-0 Pegula
On a day replete with plenty of star power, this may still be amongst the most intriguing matches. It certainly looks likely to be closer than the first instalment of the rivalry, a match which Maria Sakkari won at a canter in Eastbourne back in 2019. Jessica Pegula has improved considerably since then, with the American enjoying the finest start to a season of her career by a distance. She has already made the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and in Dubai, as well as the last four at the WTA Qatar Open.
She has continued that fine run of form with victories over Storm Sanders and sixth seed Karolina Pliskova, who she beat for the third time in as many tournaments. Sakkari, meanwhile, has brushed aside Arantxa Rus and Liudmila Samsonova to reach this stage. But as well as the Greek has played to make the fourth round, it is hard to see her advancing further. Sakkari has struggled against the best in the game so far this year and, with Pegula in the form of her life, expect the American to come out on top.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
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