Miami Open 2023, Day 7: Women's singles predictions ft. Elena Rybakina vs Elise Mertens
Day 7 of the 2023 Miami Open will feature several exciting fourth-round clashes on the women's side. Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina will look to book her place in the quarterfinals as she takes on Elise Mertens, while third seed Jessica Pegula takes on Magda Linette.
24th seed Jelena Ostapenko will face 25th seed Martina Trevisan, while 23rd seed Zheng Qinwen will square off against 27th seed Anastasia Potapova.
The likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Petra Kvitova and Barbora Krejcikova will also be in action in the fourth round.
On that note, let's take a look at the predictions of some of the women's singles matches that will take place on Day 7 of the Miami Open:
#1 Elena Rybakina vs Elise Mertens
10th seed Elena Rybakina will face Elise Mertens in the fourth round of the Miami Open. It will be the fourth meeting between the two, with Rybakina currently leading the head-to-head 2-1.
The Kazakh reached the fourth round of the Miami Open with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Paula Badosa, while Mertens beat Petra Martic 6-4, 6-3.
Rybakina has been in pretty good form lately and her confidence level is very high after winning the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The same cannot be said for Mertens, who has won only 10 out of 17 matches so far this season. Rybakina will enter the match as the favorite and should be able to get the win to move on to the quarterfinals in Miami.
Predicted Winner: Elena Rybakina
#2 Jelena Ostapenko vs Martina Trevisan
24th seed Jelena Ostapenko will take on 25th seed Martina Trevisan in the fourth round of the Miami Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Both players registered hard-fought wins in the third round, with Ostapenko defeating 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 and Trevisan triumphing 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 over Claire Liu.
Ostapenko has won 12 out of 19 matches so far this season, while Trevisan has won only 5 out of 13. The Italian has been anything but consistent since reaching the French Open semifinals last year, but having reached the fourth round, she will be in good spirits and will most likely put up a fight against Ostapenko.
However, the Latvian should be able to get the better of her and seal her place in the Miami Open quarterfinals.
Predicted Winner: Jelena Ostapenko
#3 Zheng Qinwen vs Anastasia Potapova
23rd seed Zheng Qinwen will take on 27th seed Anastasia Potapova in the fourth round of the Miami Open. It will be the second WTA Tour main draw meeting between the two, with Zheng winning the previous one 7-6(4), 7-6(3) in the second round of the 2022 US Open.
The Chinese booked her place in the fourth round of the Miami Open with a 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 win over 12th seed Liudmila Samsonova, while Potapova eliminated sixth seed Coco Gauff.
Zheng has won nine out of 14 matches so far this season, while Potapova has won 12 out of 17, clinching the Linz Open. The match is expected to be a thrilling contest and while the Russian will be high on confidence after beating Gauff, Zheng should just about manage to wiggle her way into the Miami Open quarterfinals.
#4 Petra Kvitova vs Varvara Gracheva
15th seed Petra Kvitova will be up against Varvara Gracheva in the fourth round of the Miami Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Kvitova reached the fourth round of the WTA 1000 tournament with a 6-4, 7-6(3) win over 22nd seed Donna Vekic, while Gracheva defeated Magdalena Frech 6-1, 6-2.
Kvitova has been in decent form lately, reaching the quarterfinals of the BNP Parbas Open in Indian Wells as well. Gracheva has also produced some promising performances lately, reaching the final of the ATX Open before Miami.
The 22-year-old did well to make it to the fourth round, but Kvitova's experience could see her reach the quarterfinals.
Predicted Winner: Petra Kvitova.
#5 Marketa Vondrousova vs Sorana Cirstea
Marketa Vondrousova will be up against Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round of the Miami Open. It will be the third meering between the two, with their head-to-head currently tied at 1-1.
Vondrousova booked her place in the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-2 win over 17th seed Karolina Pliskova, while Cirstea defeated Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-1.
Both players have looked in good touch lately, beating two in-form players in the previous round. Vondrousova and Cirstea are expected to play an exciting encounter and either player has a good chance of booking their spot in the quarterfinals.
Predicted Winner: Marketa Vondrousova