The 2024 edition of the WTA Tour’s Miami Open moves into the round of 64. Damien Kayat previews Aryana Sabalenka v Paula Badosa and losing Aussie Open finalist Quinwen Zheng v Katerina Siniakova.
2024 WTA Tour – WTA 1000
Miami Open
Hard Rock Stadium
Selected Ro64 Matches – Friday 22 March
Aryna Sabalenka 2/5 | Paula Badosa 2/1 *forecast betting
This is definitely one of the more eye-catching Round of 64 ties out there. But I wonder what frame of mind World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka is going to be in this week. The Belarusian has decided to play in this year’s event despite her boyfriend’s apparent suicide earlier this week.
It’s an interesting move that will no doubt raise a few eyebrows in certain circles. I’m just here to talk about the tennis and Sabalenka has certainly experienced a dip in form since defending her Aussie Open crown.
She was beaten by Vekic in their first-round clash in Dubai and then Emma Navarro managed to get the better of her at Indian Wells. She should theoretically feel more comfortable during this leg of the ‘Sunshine Double’ (these courts are a bit brisker and that should benefit Sabalenka’s power-based game).
But she actually reached the Indian Wells final last year and she has never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage here. Strange. In any event, Sabalenka knows that she could do with a positive result with the clay-court season fast approaching (Swiatek tends to pull away from the pack when we hit the dirt).
Paula Badosa must be delighted with the way she rallied against comeback queen Simona Halep. The Romanian came out of the gates like a woman possessed, obliterating Badosa 6-1 in the opening set. But the Spainard pulled her act together and started to dictate the longer rallies.
She was also helped enormously by the fact that Halep served ten double faults throughout. A quarter-finalist here back in 2022, the former Indian Wells champion clearly has an affinity for this sun-drenched portion of the season. It really all depends on whether her body holds up.
She has withdrawn from three events already this season and she wouldn’t want to risk anything with two Slams just around the corner. Badosa’s serve improved dramatically in the Halep match and she ultimately won 78% of her first-serve points. She will need that weapon to fire should she stand any chance of withstanding the awesome power of Sabalenka.
Verdict: Sabalenka to win in three sets 3/1
These two currently share the head-to-head spoils at two wins apiece. Sabalenka has won their last two meetings but Badosa won both of their hardcourt encounters. This is a tough one to call.
I really don’t know what level you can expect from Sabalenka given what she has been through this week. The fact that she decided to play means she must feel confident in her ability. But Badosa really grew into that Halep tie and this could be a great opportunity for her to pick up a massive scalp.
I think she will push Sabalenka to three sets but the Belarusian’s greater power could overwhelm Badosa in the third. Badosa also coughed up some double-faults in her opener and Sabalenka will be positively lethal on any tame second deliveries.
Qinwen Zheng 42/100 | Katerina Siniakova 18/10
Chinese star Qinwen Zheng will start her Miami Open campaign with a tricky tie against Czech Katerina Siniakova. The hard-hitting Chinese baseliner rose to prominence last season, winning her first two WTA Tour titles whilst also reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open.
She then became a household name- at least in the tennis fraternity- by making it all the way to this year’s Aussie Open final. Granted, she didn’t play a seeded player until she was soundly beaten by Sabalenka in the final.
But you can only beat what is put in front of you and she looked remarkably composed throughout the fortnight. She has a pretty humdrum 3-3 record since her Melbourne heroics (which is probably quite understandable after coming down from such a high).
She had the misfortune of running into Swiatek in the Dubai quarters though she was rather surprisingly bundled out of Indian Wells by compatriot Yuan. She will find these faster surfaces more to her liking (as evidenced by a commendable fourth-round run here last season).
A seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion, we have only really seen fragments of what Czech player Katerina Siniakova is capable of in singles. Former doubles partner Barbora Krejcikova has attained more sustained singles success but it would be foolish to overlook Siniakova’s pedigree.
In fact, the plucky Czech managed to reach three WTA singles finals last year without anyone really noticing. She won the Bad Homburg and Jiangxi Opens (losing in the final of the Hong Kong Open). It seemed to indicate that she was ready to escape the ‘doubles specialist’ ghetto.
This season has been really frustrating for her. She has looked competitive in every event but has only managed to win consecutive tour-level matches in Qatar (where she shocked Coco Gauff in straight sets).
She just cruised past Bogdan to improve her 2024 record to an even 8-8. Siniakova has a wicked backhand that can surprise opponents and she is lethal at the net. But will she get the chance to showcase her talent against the relentless hitting of Zheng?
Verdict: Zheng to win in straight sets 1/1
Siniakova leads the head-to-head 1-0, beating Zheng in straight sets at Wimbledon last year. I think her crafty, versatile style of play would give her an advantage on grass.
But Zheng’s sheer consistency and depth of shot should give her the edge on these hardcourts. She has shown a real aptitude for these Miami courts and I think she could be a dangerous lurker in this event.
