Miami Open 2022: Women’s Singles Draw Preview and Prediction


Miami Open 2022: Women’s Singles Draw Preview and Prediction

Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka

The 2022 Miami Open will commence from March 22 and will feature some of the biggest names in women’s tennis including Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Naomi Osaka.

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Tournament Details:

  • Tournament: Miami Open 2022
  • Date: March 22- April 3, 2022
  • Number of Entrants: 96 (Singles), 32 (Doubles)
  • Venue: Miami, Florida, USA
  • Surface: Hard Court
  • Prize Money: $8,369,455
  • Defending champion: Ash Barty

Top Seeds at the Miami Open 2022

  • Aryna Sabalenka
  • Iga Swiatek
  • Anett Kontaveit
  • Maria Sakkari
  • Paula Badosa
  • Karolina Pliskova
  • Garbine Muguruza
  • Ons Jabeur

Top Half

First Quarter

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka

Belarussian top seed Aryna Sabalenka will headline the top half of the draw. Along with the other 31 seeds, Sabalenka receives a first-round bye. She is expected to face Hailey Baptiste or Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round and could face 25th seed Daria Kasatkina in the third round. For that, Kasatkina will have to get past either a qualifier or Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round.

Ukrainian 15th seed Elina Svitolina will be up against either Arantxa Rus or Heather Watson in the second round. Olympic champion Belinda Bencic too finds herself in the upper quarter and will face Marta Kostyuk or Alison van Uytvanck in the second round. Bencic and Svitolina are expected to meet in the third round with the winner facing Sabalenka in the Round of 16.

US Open champion Emma Raducanu will begin her Miami Open campaign against either a qualifier or Czech Katerina Siniakova. Indian Wells semifinalist Simona Halep will face either Daria Saville or Greet Minnen in the opener and could face Raducanu in a blockbuster third-round match. Yet to win after returning from injury, Karolina Pliskova will most likely face Robin Montgomery in the second round. Camila Giorgi is seeded 27th and is expected to face Ajla Tomljanavic in the third round.

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1st Quarterfinal Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka vs Simona Halep

Second Quarter

Anett Kontaveit
Anett Kontaveit

3rd seed Anett Kontaveit will be the highest-ranked player in the quarter. She will face the winner of the match between Ann Li and Sherif Mayar in the second round. Frenchwoman Alize Cornet will be up against either Alison Riske or Jil Teichmann in the second round. Cornet and Kontaveit are expected to meet in the third round.

US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez will open her Miami Open campaign against either Tereza Martincova or Karolina Muchova. 13th seed Angelique Kerber is also in the same bracket and is expected to face 4-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in the second round who opens against Astra Sharma. Either Kerber or Osaka will most likely face Fernandez in the third round.

8th seed Ons Jabeur will meet either Magda Linette or Qinwen Zheng in the second round before a potential third-round clash against Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo. The 31st seed will have to first clear the second-round hurdle against either Kaia Kanepi or Maryna Zanevska.

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The Miami Open will be Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins’ first tournament since getting retired at Dubai. She will face either Caroline Garcia or Anna Bondar in the second round. 19th seed Tamara Zidansek will face Misaki Doi or a qualifier in the second round. Zidansek will most likely face Collins in the third round.

2nd Quarterfinal Prediction: Anett Kontaveit vs Danielle Collins

Third Quarter

Maria Sakkari
Maria Sakkari

4th seed Maria Sakkari will headline the third quarter of the draw. She will face Beatriz Maia Haddad or Nuria Diaz Parrizas in the second round and is drawn against 26th seed Madison Keys. The American could face fellow American Sofia Kenin or Anhelina Kalinina in the second round.

Jessica Pegula is seeded 16th and will be up against either Panna Udvardy or Sloane Stephens in the second round. 17th seed Elena Rybakina will take on the winner of the match between Ana Konjuh and Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Pegula and Rybakina are drawn to meet in the third round.

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In form 5th seed Paula Badosa will be the player to look out for in this section of the draw and will open her Miami Open campaign against either a qualifier or Laura Siegmund. Marketa Vondrousova will face Yulia Putintseva or Nastasja Schunk in the second round.

Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka will face Jasmine Paolini or Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round and Elise Mertens, who is seeded 20th, will take on either Danka Kovinic or Linda Fruhvirtova. Azarenka and Mertens are expected to clash in the third round with the winner projected to face Paula Baodsa in the Round of 16.

3rd Quarterfinal Prediction: Paula Badosa vs Maria Sakkari

Fourth Quarter

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek

After winning back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at Qatar and Indian Wells, Iga Swiatek will look for a hattrick of WTA 1000 titles at Miami. She will headline the bottom half of the draw and will face either a qualifier or Viktorija Golubic in the second round. 29th seed Liudmilla Samsonova will be up against Madison Brengle or Alexandra Eala in the second round and will most likely face Swiatek in the third round.

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American teen sensation Coco Gauff will face a qualifier or Ashlyn Krueger in the second round and is drawn opposite Sorana Cirstea who will have to tackle either Shuai Zhang or Clara Tauson in the second round. Gauff has got a fairly easy draw and will want to reach the Round of 16 at least.

7th seed Garbine Muguruza gets lucky with the draw this time. She will meet a qualifier in the second round and is drawn opposite 28th seed Petra Kvitova. The Czech could face Clara Burel in the second round before a tight clash with Muguruza in the third round. Meanwhile, 10seed Jelena Ostapenko will open against either Shelby Rogers or Amanda Anisimova in the second round. Veronika Kudermetova will lock horns against either Kristina Kucova or a qualifier in the second round.

4th Quarterfinal Prediction: Iga Swiatek vs Jelena Ostapenko

Semifinals

Simona Halep
Simona Halep

Former World No.1 Simona Halep will be up against Anett Konteveit in the first semifinal. Halep has been playing exceptionally well for the last few weeks and is very close to attaining her peak form. She will fancy her chances against Kontaveit, a defensive player.

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In the second semifinal, Paula Badosa will face Iga Swiatek. Badosa is consistently doing well and has established herself as a top player in very less time. But she’ll be up against the most consistent player on the women’s tour currently, Iga Swiatek. However, the Pole has played a lot of tennis in recent weeks and the Spaniard would definitely exploit this side and indulge in long rallies to wear Swiatek out.

Miami Open 2022 Final: Simona Halep vs Paula Badosa

Final

Paula Badosa
Paula Badosa

Simona Halep will lock horns against Paula Badosa in a blockbuster title clash at Miami. The fast courts of Miami suit Halep’s game better but Badosa has time and again proven that she’s an all-court player. Coming off good results, Badosa will enter as the favorite and will most likely emerge as the Miami Open champion.

Champion: Paula Badosa

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Also read: ‘One of those childhood dreams that you just never think can come true,’ Taylor Fritz left in tears after a historic clash with Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells