The second day of WTA quarterfinal matches are set in Miami. Petra Kvitova is playing excellent tennis again at age 33 and takes on another veteran in Ekaterina Alexandrova hoping to have a chance to fight for her first WTA 1000 title. The only unseeded quarterfinalist, Sorana Cirstea, faces a difficult test in the dominant defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who has lost just two matches all year. Wednesday will round out the two other quarterfinal matches in a power-packed Miami draw.
WTA Miami Quarterfinal Predictions
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Petra Kvitova
Head-to-head: 1-0 Kvitova
Their lone prior meeting was a beatdown by Kvitova at the Australian Open, though that was when Kvitova was still a dangerous Top 10 player. She seemed to have lost a step last year but in 2023 has found her way back to playing elite tennis. Alexandrova has not started the year strong with just a 4-5 record coming into Miami before her strong run here. Alexandrova scored a big win against Belinda Bencic here before Bianca Andreescu had to retire after a horrible ankle injury. While the Bencic win was certainly a statement, Kvitova plays a much different game and presents a tougher challenge. Kvitova has played great tennis in Miami and has won all three of her matches in straight sets.
This match could go either way though most of the signs point to Kvitova. Kvitova’s losses on the year have mostly been to similarly powerful players with big serves that play a similar game to hers. Alexandrova’s height and serve certainly presents a similar challenge as players like Barbora Krejcikova who beat Kvitova a few weeks ago. However, Alexandrova has been broken in all of her matches which shows a vulnerability that Kvitova will expose. This is just her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal and first on a hard court, and Kvitova’s experience and current level will be too much for her to overcome.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: First meeting
Cirstea started the year slowly, winning just one of her first six main draw matches before reaching back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and here in Miami. She has played great tennis to reach this point, winning all eight of her sets she has played. Sabalenka has been equally dominant as expected, winning all six of her sets including victories over two seeded players. She is coming off a dominant 6-3 6-2 win over Barbora Krejcikova, one of the two players to defeat her in 2023. Her year has been truly excellent with two titles including the Australian Open and a final in Indian Wells.
This will likely be the most lopsided semifinal. Cirstea has been playing good tennis in Miami but Sabalenka is simply at another level right now. Cirstea has shown the ability to win matches but has struggled against top players and could not get anything going in her quarterfinal loss in Indian Wells against Iga Swiatek. Sabalenka is looking like arguably the best player in the world and few have the game to stop her. Cirstea does not have the tools and Sabalenka will continue to dominate.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
