By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek looks to bounce back after crashing out in the Indian Wells semi-finals as she defends her title.
- Top Seeds: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur
- British Interest: Emma Raducanu
MIAMI, USA – Iga Swiatek is looking to bounce back from semi-final defeat at Indian Wells as she looks to defend her Miami Open title.
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[1] Iga Swiatek
Best Result: Champion (2022)
Despite being dominant in the early rounds, Swiatek failed to defend her title at Indian Wells losing comfortably to Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals. Now the world number one will look to bounce back and defend her title in Miami.
Swiatek’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Katerina Siniakova | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Martina Trevisan [25] | H2H: Swiatek leads 3-1
- R4: Beatriz Haddad Maia [13] | H2H: Haddad Maia leads 1-0
- QF: Daria Kasatkina [8] | H2H: Swiatek leads 5-1
- SF: Jessica Pegula [3] | H2H: Swiatek leads 5-2
- F: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Swiatek leads 4-2
A potentially tough opening round match against Katerina Siniakova could await Swiatek in what is a more favourable draw for the Pole than was the case in Indian Wells. The world number one could have a rematch with Rybakina in the quarter-finals which could be the only obstacle stopping her from reaching the final and a potential dream match with Aryna Sabalenka. It’s an ideal draw for the top seed as she is looking to build momentum ahead of her favourite time of year on the European clay courts.
[2] Aryna Sabalenka
Best Results: Quarter-Finals (2021)
Sabalenka continued to show why she is the main challenger for Swiatek at big events as she reached the final at Indian Wells as the second seed is starting to prove why she is a Grand Slam champion.
Sabalenka’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Shelby Rogers | H2H: Sabalenka leads 3-0
- R3: Marie Bouzkova [31] | H2H: First Meeting
- R4: Barbora Krejcikova [16] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 3-1
- QF: Caroline Garcia [5] | H2H: Garcia leads 3-2
- SF: Ons Jabeur [4] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 3-1
- F: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Swiatek leads 4-2
An opening round match against Shelby Rogers could be a tricky match to start off with and will test Sabalenka’s ability to adapt to conditions. A third meeting in a third consecutive tournament against Barbora Krejcikova could also await before the Australian Open champion could collide with last year’s WTA Finals Caroline Garcia in the last eight. All in all, Sabalenka could have had an easier draw especially given her run in California as she looks to continue to be a formidable force in the women’s game.
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[3] Jessica Pegula
Best Result: Semi-Final (2022)
Pegula would have been disappointed to exit Indian Wells before the quarter-final stage but will look to make amends this week as she looks to gain ground on Swiatek and Sabalenka.
Pegula’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Linda Fruhvirtova | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Danielle Collins [30] | H2H: Pegula leads 3-0
- R4: Victoria Azarenka [14] | H2H: Azarenka leads 3-2
- QF: Coco Gauff [6] | H2H: Pegula leads 1-0
- SF: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Swiatek leads 5-2
- F: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 4-1
An intriguing opening round against Linda Fruhvirtova awaits in the opening round with the exciting young Czech having the game to cause Pegula problems. After that the American will fancy her chances to go deep in the tournament with a potential quarter-final match with doubles partner Coco Gauff awaiting. Should Pegula make the last four, the American will be keen to show that she can do some damage to Swiatek and Sabalenka as she looks to make a major statement on the American hard courts before moving onto clay.
[4] Ons Jabeur
Best Result: Fourth Round (2022)
After an early exit in California, Jabeur will look to build up some form in Miami as she continues her recovery from knee injury.
Jabeur’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Maryna Zanevska | H2H: Tied at 1-1
- R3: Shuai Zhang [26] | H2H: Jabeur leads 2-0
- R4: Petra Kvitova [15] | H2H: Kvitova leads 4-1
- QF: Maria Sakkari [7] | H2H: Tied at 2-2
- SF: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 3-1
- F: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Swiatek leads 3-2
Jabeur has a comfortable opening couple rounds but will face difficult tasks against Petra Kvitova and Maria Sakkari if the Tunisian wants to reach the semi-finals. If Jabeur can find her top level of play then the fourth seed is more than capable of giving Swiatek, Sabalenka and other top level players a tough match as she looks to build momentum towards her Madrid title defence.
Miami starts on the 21 March and concludes on the 2 April.
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