Miami Open 2023, Day 5: Women's singles predictions ft. Coco Gauff vs Anastasia Potapova
Day 5 of the Miami Open will feature a number of exciting women's singles encounters.
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff will be eager to book their spots in the fourth round as they take on Danielle Collins and Anastasia Potapova, respectively. Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina will be up against Paula Badosa while Victoria Azarenka will take on Magda Linette. The likes of Liudmila Samsonova and Petra Martic will also be in action on Saturday,
On that note, here are the predictions for a few of the women's singles fixtures on Day 5 of the Miami Open:
#1 Coco Gauff vs Anastasia Potapova
Sixth seed Coco Gauff will square off against 27th seed Anastasia Potapova in the third round of the Miami Open. It will be the third meeting between the two, with Gauff winning both of their prior encounters.
Gauff booked her place in the third round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Rebecca Marino, while Potapova beat Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3.
Gauff has had a good start to the season, winning 15 out of 19 matches, including a title run at the ASB Classic. Potapova has won 11 out of 16 matches, triumphing at the Linz Open.
While Potapova is on an upward trajectory, Gauff will likely be too strong for the Russian.
Predicted winner: Coco Gauff.
#2 Liudmila Samsonova vs Zheng Qinwen
12th seed Liudmila Samsonova will take on 23rd seed Zheng Qinwen in the third round of the Miami Open. It will be the fourth meeting between the two, with Samsonova leading 2-1 in the head-to-head.
The Russian booked her place in the Round of 32 with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 win over Viktorija Golubic while Zheng fought back from a set down to beat Irina-Camelia Begu 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Samsonova has won eight out of 15 matches so far this season while Zheng has come out on top in eight out of 13. Both players are fierce competitors and the match is expected to be a close one.
Predicted winner: Liudmila Samsonova.
#3 Petra Martic vs Elise Mertens
29th seed Petra Martic will face Elise Mertens in the third round of the Miami Open. This will be the fourth meeting between the two, with Mertens winning each of their three prior encounters.
Martic reached the third round of the WTA 1000 event with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Wang Xiyu while Mertens battled back from a set down to defeat eighth seed Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Martic has won seven out of 12 matches so far this season, while Mertens has won nine out of 16. The Croat may be the higher-ranked player, but Mertens looks to be returning to form and should be able to register a fourth successive win over her opponent.
Predicted winner: Elise Mertens.
#4 Claire Liu vs Martina Trevisan
25th seed Martina Trevsan will take on Claire Liu in the third round of the Miami Open. It will be the second meeting between the pair, with Trevisan winning their previous encounter in the final of the Morocco Open 6-2, 6-1.
Trevisan booked her place in the third round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Nao Hibino while Liu beat Austrian lucky loser Julia Grabher by the same scoreline.
Both players have had a disappointing start to the season, with Trevisan winning four out of 12 matches while Liu has triumphed in five out of 11. The feisty Italian put in a good performance against Hibino and should be able to get the better of Liu as well.
Predicted winner: Martina Trevisan.