There should be plenty of entertaining action on day four at the WTA Miami Open with a number of star names set to take to the courts in the Sunshine State. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Clara Burel vs Petra Kvitova, Paula Badosa vs Marie Bouzkova and Shelby Rogers vs Jelena Ostapenko. But who will book their place in the third round?
WTA Miami Day 4 Predictions
Coco Gauff vs Wang Qiang
Head-to-head: Gauff 2-1 Wang
There can surely be no doubt that Coco Gauff is a future Grand Slam winner. But the young American, seeded 14th in Miami, has made an indifferent start to the season. She has gone 8-6 so far this season this season and was well-beaten in the third round in Indian Wells by Simona Halep. Wang Qiang, by way of contrast, has found some form in recent weeks. She reached the quarterfinals in Monterrey and has backed that up with successful qualifying campaigns in Indian Wells and now Miami.
She continued her solid run of form with a battling win over Ashlyn Krueger. That being said, Gauff – even if she is not at her best – will present a sterner test than Krueger. Gauff is one of the best movers on the WTA Tour. And with the conditions in Miami fairly slow, that athleticism may well pose Wang real problems. The Chinese is not one of the bigger hitters in the women’s game and may well struggle to find a way through Gauff’s defences here.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
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Zhang Shuai vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: Cirstea 2-0 Zhang
This has the makings of an entertaining clash. Zhang Shuai has played some fine tennis at points this season, particularly in winning the title in Lyon, but she has not managed to find any real consistency. She was beaten in the first round in Indian Wells, by Daria Saville and was perhaps fortunate to come up against an injured Clara Tauson in her opener in Miami, with the Dane unable to finish their first-round clash. Regardless, she will surely need to raise her level against Sorana Cirstea.
The Romanian has enjoyed something of a resurgence of late, breaking back into the top 30 having reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park and in Indian Wells, as well as making the semifinals in Lyon. Cirstea has also had the better of this rivalry, winning both of their previous meetings, including last season in Strasbourg for the loss of only three games. It probably won’t be quite so straightforward for Cirstea this time around, but she should still have enough to get past Zhang.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
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Ludmilla Samsonova vs Madison Brengle
Head-to-head: first meeting
Ludmilla Samsonova has been in solid, if not spectacular, form. She reached the fourth round in Indian Wells with victories over Ann Li and Danka Kovinic before falling short against Petra Martic. Madison Brengle’s season has followed a largely similar pattern. She scored some positive results in Dubai and Qatar, before throwing away a one-set lead against Ann Li in the first round in Indian Wells. She did bounce back by beating 16-year-old wildcard Alex Eala 6-2 6-1 in the first round in Miami, but it is hard to imagine Samsonova proving to be such obliging opposition.
Prediction: Samsonova in 3
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Viktorija Golubic vs Iga Swiatek
Head-to-head: Golubic 1-1 Swiatek
Iga Swiatek will surely come into this match full of confidence after her superb run to the title in Indian Wells. She did not have things all her own way in the Californian desert, being taken the distance in her first three matches, but once she found her rhythm she proved to be all but unplayable, sweeping into the final with straight-sets wins over Madison Keys and Simona Halep before dismissing Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1 in the final.
She may need to be at her best up against Viktorija Golubic, however. The Swiss has not quite hit the heights that she did in 2021, but she has played some solid tennis in 2022 and impressed in battling past Kirsten Flipkens in three sets in the first round at the WTA Miami Open. Still, with Swiatek in this kind of form, it is hard to look past the Pole. There are few, if any, weaknesses in the Pole’s game and it looks like it will take a more complete player than Golubic to snap her winning streak.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
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