Miami Open 2024 Day 7: Women's singles predictions ft. Maria Sakkari vs Anna Kalinskaya

Day 7 of the 2024 Miami Open will see the women battling it out for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Coco Gauff trailed 4-2 in the first set against Oceane Dodin in the third round but didn't lose a game after that to score a 6-4, 6-0 win. Iga Swiatek's newly minted rivalry against Linda Noskova saw her defeat the Czech 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-4.

Last year's runner-up at the venue Elena Rybakina has reached the fourth round as well. She survived a spirited challenge from Taylor Townsend as she edged past her 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

The field will be further cut in half on Monday as all fourth-round matches will be contested. Here are the predictions for some of the key matches lined up for Day 7 of the Miami Open.

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#1 - Danielle Collins vs Sorana Cirstea

Danielle Collins at the 2024 Miami Open.

Collins was pushed to three sets in the first round but managed to outlast Bernarda Pera to advance further. She then defeated 30th seed Anastasia Potapova in the second round and then followed it up with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Elina Avanesyan to reach the fourth round.

Cirstea down former US open champion Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-1, who had sent her packing from the Indian Wells Open just a couple of weeks ago. She then knocked out 10th seed Daria Kasatkina to qualify for the fourth round of the Miami Open for the second straight year.

Collins and Cirstea have crossed paths just once before when they battled it out at the 2018 Italian Open. The American edged past her opponent in three sets back then.

Cirstea reached her second WTA 1000 semifinal in Miami just last year. She also reached the last four of the Dubai Tennis Championships last month. However, Collins has significantly improved since her first match here and has put her opponents on the backfoot with her blistering shotmaking.

Considering this is Collins' final appearance at the Miami Open, she'll be aiming to make this a memorable affair. She looks to be a woman on a mission here and should be able to make it past Cirstea.

Predicted winner: Danielle Collins

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#2 - Maria Sakkari vs Anna Kalinskaya

Sakkari's recent resurgence continues as she's on the cusp of reaching the last eight of the Miami Open. She secured straight-set wins over Yuan Yue and Dayana Yastremska to reach the fourth round here.

Kalinskaya eliminated Wang Xiyu in the second round, after which she ousted ninth seed Jelena Ostapenko to make it to the fourth round here for the first time. The Russian's breakthrough season continues as she has notched up another good result.

Kalinskaya previously reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and finished as the runner-up at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Sakkari fell to Swiatek in the Indian Wells final last week.

Sakkari and Kalinskaya have faced off just once before. The two met in the second round of the 2021 Kremlin Cup but the Russian retired from the match due to an injury in the second set.

Both players are competing quite well at the moment. Sakkari usually makes it to the business end of a tournament when she's playing at this level, so she'll be favored to win this encounter.

Predicted winner: Maria Sakkari

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#3 - Anhelina Kalinina vs Yulia Putintseva

Anhelina Kalinina at the 2024 Miami Open.

Kalinina has been on a giant-killing spree this week at the Miami Open. She saved match points to beat Caroline Wozniacki 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round. She then scored the biggest win of her career as she defeated World no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in the third round.

Putintseva has been made to work for each of her wins here as she has needed three sets to get past all her opponents. She has defeated Cristina Bucsa, Liudmila Samsonova and Greet Minnen to reach the fourth round.

Putintseva and Kalinina have competed against twice each other in main draw matches so far. The former triumphed in the final of the 2021 Budapest Grand Prix, while the latter emerged victorious at the 2022 Eastbourne International.

This will be the first time they will play a match on hardcourts. Kalinina made it to the final of last year's Italian Open by defeating some quality players. Given the kind of players she has ousted so far, it looks like another deep run is on the cards for the Ukrainian.

Predicted winner: Anhelina Kalinina