There should be plenty of entertaining tennis on day six at the WTA Miami Open with eight intriguing matches on the schedule in the Sunshine State. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Madison Brengle vs Iga Swiatek. But who will book their place in the fourth round?
WTA Miami Day 5 Predictions
Paula Badosa vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: Badosa 1-0 Putintseva
Paula Badosa has been in solid enough form of late, even if she may feel she could have performed better in Dubai and Qatar, and arrived at the WTA Miami Open fresh from a run to the semifinals in Indian Wells. She fell short in the last four against Maria Sakkari, fading badly in the decider, but she bounced back from that disappointment in impressive fashion to get the better of Marie Bouzkova in straight-sets, 7-5 7-5. Her next task will be to find a way past Yulia Putintseva.
The Kazakh remains more comfortable on clay than hard courts, but she is an experienced campaigner and has battled hard to earn her place in the third round with three-set wins over Nastasja Mariana Schunk and Lesia Tsurenko. She was, however, well-beaten by Badosa in their only previous meeting, which came at Wimbledon last season. This will likely be more competitive, the slower conditions in Miami should see to that, but expect Badosa to have the edge all the same.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
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Linda Fruhvirtova vs Victoria Azarenka
Head-to-head: first meeting
In a battle between youth and experience, Victoria Azarenka and Linda Fruhvirtova will go head-to-head. There are few players more decorated than the Belarusian, who has held the #1 ranking and won two Grand Slam titles (both at the Australian Open), as well as appearing in a further three finals (all in New York). She may not be the force she was at the peak of her powers, but the 12th seed remains a very fine player and showed as much in beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in her Miami opener.
Linda Fruhvirtova, in contrast, is yet to celebrate her 17th birthday. But she has not let a lack of experience hold her back so far in Miami, thrashing Danka Kovinic 6-0 6-4 in the first round before shocking 20th seed Elise Mertens, 7-5 2-6 6-1. That said, it looks like a tall order for the Czech to back that performance up here. She has the ability to win this match, but expect Azarenka’s greater experience, and more complete game, to prove the difference.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
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Anhelina Kalinina vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Head-to-head: Kalinina 2-0 Haddad Maia
This is a massive opportunity for both these players to reach the fourth round at the WTA Miami Open, with the rewards on offer for the victor 120 ranking points and nearly $68,000 in prize money. Beatriz Haddad Maia will surely be full of confidence after scoring a famous win over fourth seed Maria Sakkari in the second round, whilst Anhelina Kalinina has beaten Georgia’s Ekaterina Gorgodze and 26th seed Madison Keys to reach this stage.
The Ukrainian also beat Haddad Maia in both of their previous meetings, though they have not played against each other since 2014. Haddad Maia has unquestionably improved in the intervening eight years and looks like the favourite heading into this match. She will need to guard against a let-down after the emotional high of beating Sakkari, but if she can maintain that level – or something close to it, she should have enough to get past Kalinina here.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 2
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Jessica Pegula vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-head: first meeting
In what is, somewhat surprisingly, set to be the first meeting between this pair, Jessica Pegula will take on Elena Rybakina for a place in the fourth round in Miami. Pegula has perhaps not kicked on after a banner year in 2021, but the American has posted some impressive results in the early weeks of 2022, not least in reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the second year in a row. She also made an impressive start to her campaign in Miami, dismissing Sloane Stephens 6-1 6-4.
Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals last-time out in Indian Wells and started her week at the WTA Miami Open with a composed 6-4 7-5 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse. She may well like her chances of adding to that victory. Pegula is a solid ball-striker and covers the court well, but she lacks a real x-factor. Rybakina is not particularly consistent, but she is in form – as she surely is at the moment – she can be very hard to stop.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
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