Fresh Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka will face eight-time Miami champion Serena Williams in a blockbuster first-round match on Wednesday at the Miami Open. The winner of this match will take on number 4 seed Elina Svitolina in the second round. The Miami Draw also features a first-round match between Vika Azarenka and Cici Bellis.
Serena Williams made her return to the WTA Tour in Indian Wells, where she lost to her sister Venus in the third round. She will face a very tough first round match against Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka, who reached the Australian Open fourth round and went on to beat Daria Kasatkina in the final in the Californian desert to claim the biggest title of her career. The winner of the Williams-Osaka will face Elina Svitolina, one of the 32 seeds with a bye in the opening round.
Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina feature in the first section of the bottom half led by 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko, who could face this year’s Doha and St. Petersburg champion Petra Kvitova in the fourth round.
Top seed Simona Halep and number 3 seed Garbine Muguruza could meet in a potential semifinal in the top-half of the draw, while number 2 seed and 2017 Miami finalist Caroline Wozniacki and Elina Svitolina are the top seeds in the bottom half.
Halep will make her Miami debut against either Veronica Cepede Royg or a qualifier. She could meet Karolina Pliskova in the quarter final.
Halep’s potential semifinal rival Muguruza will clash against either Wang Qiang or US 16-year-old US Open Junior champion Amanda Anismova, who made her breakthrough last week when she reached the fourth round in Indian Wells.
Three-time Miami champion Viktoria Azarenka will meet US teenager Cici Bellis in a re-match of last year’s Wimbledon first round in Halep’s quarter of the draw. Azarenka, who won the Miami title in 2009, 2011 and 2016, will play her second tournament since her come-back. The Belarussian player lost to Sloane Stephens in the second round in Indian Wells in her come-back tournament.
The winner of the match between Azarenka and Bellis will face 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys.
Wozniacki will face the winner of the first round match between either former US champion Samantha Stosur or reigning Olympic singles Monica Puig. The Danish star is on a collision course with Venus Williams for a potential quarter final match.
Defending champion Johanna Konta will take on the winner of the first round match between Kirsten Flipkens and Mihaela Buzarnescu.
US wildcard Bethanie Mattek Sands will make her come-back after being sidelined by a serious knee injury at Wimbledon last year. The winner of the match between Mattek Sands and Alizé Cornet will clash against number 20 seed Anastasja Sevastova in the second round.
