Miami Open 2023, Day 6: Women's singles predictions ft. Aryna Sabalenka vs Marie Bouzkova
Day 6 of the 2023 Miami Open will feature a number of exciting women's singles encounters.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will be eager to book her spot in the Round of 16 as she takes on 31st seed Marie Bouzkova, while ninth seed Belinda Bencic will face 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
17th seed Karolina Pliskova will be up against compatriot Marketa Vondrousova, while fellow Czech Karolina Muchova will lock horns with giant killer Sorana Cirstea in the third round. On that note, let's take a look at the predictions for some of the women's singles clashes that will take place on Day 6 of the Miami Open:
#1 Aryna Sabalenka vs Marie Bouzkova
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka and 31st seed Marie Bouzkova will lock horns for the very first time when they meet in the third round of the Miami Open.
Sabalenka booked her place in the third round of the tournament with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Shelby Rogers. Bouzkova, meanwhile, came back from a set down to defeat Anna Blinkova 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The Belarusian has already won two titles so far this season, including the Australian Open. Bouzkova, on the other hand, has won only four out of 11 main draw matches in the 2023 season.
Sabalenka will enter the match as the overwhelming favorite to win and should be able to triumph over the Czech rather comfortably.
Predicted Winner: Aryna Sabalenka.
#2 Belinda Bencic
Ninth seed Belinda Bencic will square off against 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round of the Miami Open. It will be the sixth meeting between the two, with Bencic leading 3-2 in the head-to-head.
Bencic booked her place in the third round of the Miami Open with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 win over Leylah Fernandez while Alexandrova had to grind out a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory against Taylor Townsend.
The Swiss has had a good start to the 2023 season, winning 16 out of 20 matches so far, with two WTA 500 titles to her name. Alexandrova, on the other hand, has won only five out of 10 matches so far this season, with her best performance being reaching the third round of the Australian Open.
Alexandrova is a formidable competitor on her day, but Bencic's recent run of form should see her make it through to the Round of 16 of the Miami Open.
Predicted Winner: Belinda Bencic.
#3 Karolina Pliskova vs Marketa Vondrousova
17th seed Karolina Pliskova will take on compatriot Marketa Vondrousova in the third round of the Miami Open. It will be the fourth meeting between the two, with Pliskova winning each of their three previous encounters.
The former World No. 1 booked her place in the third round of the Miami Open with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Wang Xinyu, while Vondrosuova beat 11th seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-4.
Pliskova has produced some promising performances so far this season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships. Vondrousova recently reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open and will be in good spirits after defeating Kudermetova.
The match is expected to be anything but one-sided, but Pliskova should be able to get the win given her recent run of form.
Predicted Winner: Karolina Pliskova.
#4 Sorana Cirstea vs Karolina Muchova
Sorana Cirstea will face Karolina Muchova in the third round of the Miami Open. It will be the third meeting between the two, with the Czech winning both of their previous two matches.
Cirstea booked her place in the third round in Miami with a 6-2, 6-3 win over fifth seed Caroline Garcia while Muchova ousted 32nd seed Zhu Lin 6-4, 6-2.
Both players reached the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and fans are up for an exciting encounter in Miami. While Cirstea can make things difficult for Muchova, the latter has produced some very good tennis lately and should be able to book her place in the fourth round of the Miami Open.
Predicted Winner: Karolina Muchova
#5 Magdalena Frech vs Varvara Gracheva
Magdalena Frech will take on Varvara Gracheva in the third round of the Miami Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Frech did not initially qualify for the main draw of the Miami Open but later gained a direct entry to the second round following the withdrawal of Zhang Shuai. The Pole came back from a set down to beat Erika Andreeva 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 and book her place in the third round.
Gracheva produced an upset in the second round as she eliminated fourth seed Ons Jabeur by beating her 6-2, 6-2.
The Russian has had some good moments this season, most notably reaching the final of the ATX Open, and should be able to get the better of Magdalena Frech, who has only two main draw wins so far this season.
Predicted Winner: Varvara Gracheva.
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