First round play from the WTA Miami Open features Americans Hailey Baptiste, Alison Riske and Ashlyn Krueger looking to play upset minded tennis from the Sunshine State. We have predictions for every day 2 match at the WTA Miami Open including Naomi Osaka’s match.
Hailey Baptiste vs Irina-Camelia Begu
After reaching the WTA St. Petersburg semifinals, Begu has lost four straight matches, Baptiste has been somewhat credible this season, qualifying for the Australian Open and WTA Zapopan where she won main draw matches. I expect Begu to be challenged but survive, the Romanian started the season well but has lost form and will be looking to rebalance herself here. Begu in 3
Jill Teichmann vs Alison Riske
Teichmann won their only meeting, a competitive three set tilt last year. The Swiss player had a nice run in Doha and Dubai, while Riske comes off two wins in Indian Wells. Playing stateside, Riske should be happy with these hard courts and this matchup looks close. Teichmann is higher ranked but I’m less confident in her game presently. Riske in 3
Qiang Wang vs Ashlyn Krueger
The 17 year old Krueger is slowly making her way to the WTA Tour after winning the Orange Bowl and being a fantastic junior player. Both players qualified for Indian Wells, while Wang also qualified for Miami. Krueger has a bright future almost certainly, but Wang hasn’t lost in the early round of a tournament the last few weeks, also playing well in Mexico. The Chinese player has a clear advantage here in both form and experience over the American. Wang in 2
Linda Fruhvirtova vs Danka Kovinic
A top junior from the Czech Republic, Fruhvirtova at 16 has already played in a WTA main draw match and is another player with a bright future. Kovinic is the favorite now though, she won two matches at Indian Wells and is hundreds of spots higher in the rankings. Fruhvirtova has been strong at the ITF level but winning here looks like too much of an ask. Kovinic in 2
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