After an exciting finish to Indian Wells where Elena Rybakina lifted the trophy and got her revenge over Aryna Sabalenka, we kick off WTA Miami with the traditional first round of unseeded players. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who will get to face the seeds?
WTA Miami Day 1 Predictions
Jasmine Paolini vs Mirjam Bjorklund
Head-to-head: first meeting
Paolini is looking to advance past the first round in Miami for the first time after failing to do so at Indian Wells, falling to Tatjana Maria in her opener. The Italian has not had a great time this year so far, going 5-7 with her run to Lyon quarterfinals the only bright spot. Bjorklund qualified with wins over Ysaline Bonaventure and Tamara Zidansek, going three sets against both. This is the first time the Swede has been able to get back-to-back wins. This is a great opportunity for Paolini and I believe she will take it.
Prediction: Paolini in 2
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Anna Kalinskaya vs Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kalinskaya has made the third round here in both of her previous appearances in Miami. The Russian has been in decent form recently, reaching the quarterfinals in Austin and the second round in Indian Wells, only taking losses to Danielle Collins and Karolina Pliskova. Jimenez Kasintseva, just 17, is playing her third tournament of the season after receiving a wild card. The Andorran went to the final qualifying round at the Australian Open and won an ITF W25 in Boca Raton. Kalinskaya should take care of business here.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
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Nao Hibino vs Danka Kovinic
Head-to-head: Hibino 1-1 Kovinic
Rematch of a first-round match from Auckland where the Montenegrin came out on top and went to the semifinals. Kovinic has largely struggled since, coming into Miami on a four-loss streak. Hibino qualified without dropping a set in wins over Rebeka Masarova and Magdalena Frech. This is a tough one to call but Hibino is the player in form and Kovinic has a 13-26 record on hard over the past three seasons.
Prediction: Hibino in 3
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Brenda Fruhvirtova vs Wang Xiyu
Head-to-head: first meeting
After making her slam main draw debut after qualifying for the Australian Open, the 15-year-old Fruhvirtova won an ITF W40 in Bengaluru, already her ninth professional title and the first one on hard. The wild card recipient has a good draw here, facing a struggling Wang Xiyu who is 2-6 on the season. The 21-year-old showed signs of improvement last week in Indian Wells, getting her second win of 2023 over Olga Danilovic and getting close against Anastasia Potapova. I expect a close contest with the in-form teen advancing.
Prediction: Fruhvirtova in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Editor’s Note: Due to a scheduling error, these predictions were published after the matches concluded
