All of the fourth-round matches will take place on Day 7 of the WTA Miami Open, and each one appears to be entertaining on paper. This article features 2022 champion Iga Swiatek, who has a tough match against Elina Svitolina. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate. But who will advance to the quarterfinals?
WTA Miami Day 7 Predictions
Paula Badosa vs Alexandra Eala
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Paula Badosa got a fantastic win against the in-form Clara Tauson despite playing with an injury. Badosa took a MTO for lower back at 0-1 15-40 in the second set and it looked like she would retire but she held on and won in straight sets. The Spaniard will face Alexandra Eala, who has been the story of the Miami Open so far. Eala backed her impressive win over Jelena Ostapenko by pulling off an even bigger upset against Madison Keys. The 19-year-old took the game to Keys and never let her settle in the match. With the way Eala is playing, coupled with Badosa’s fitness concerns, she has a good shot at winning this match.
Prediction: Eala in 3
Jessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk
Head-to-Head: Pegula 2-1 Kostyuk
Jessica Pegula pulled out another gritty win against Anna Kalinskaya, who played one of her best matches of the season. Pegula loves the courts in Miami and is in the fourth round for the fifth consecutive year. The American will have a short turnaround after a demanding match and is also scheduled to play doubles before this match. Marta Kostyuk will be the fresher player in this match and should capitalize if Pegula is fatigued. The Ukrainian appears to have regained her mojo and is playing much more freely. I believe Kostyuk will win this match if Pegula does not play her best tennis.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 3
Amanda Anisimova vs Emma Raducanu
Head-to-Head: Anisimova 0-1 Raducanu
Emma Raducanu is in the last 16 of the Miami Open for the first time and has played three great matches. Raducanu badly needed this run, and she now has a chance to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. She will need a monumental effort to beat Amanda Anisimova, who ended the incredible 13-match win streak of Mirra Andreeva in the third round. This was Anisimova’s second top-10 win of the season and she will seek revenge from Raducanu for the Australian Open loss.
Prediction: Anisimova in 2
Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina
Head-to-Head: Swiatek 2-1 Svitolina
Iga Swiatek took some time to find her game against Elise Mertens but played a great first-set tiebreak and everything started clicking from there on. Elina Svitolina has been terrific since the start of Indian Wells and is getting better with every match. Mertens achieved some success against Swiatek by playing aggressively and Svitolina will need to do the same and avoid being too defensive. This will be Swiatek’s toughest test by far and I expect her to raise her level accordingly.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
