Second round ATP and WTA action takes place on Friday in Miami.
The WTA’s top two Canadian players will take part in two of the day’s best matchups. 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu takes on Maria Sakkari, while 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez plays Belinda Bencic.
Other action on Friday includes top names such as Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Casper Ruud, and Ons Jabeur.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Maria Sakkari (7) vs. Bianca Andreescu – 12:00pm on Stadium Court
Andreescu is 7-6 this season, and overcame fellow US Open champ Emma Raducanu in the first round. This is only her third appearance in Miami, but she is 9-2 at this event, and was the runner-up the last time she played here in 2021.
Sakkari is now 15-6 on the year, yet is just 7-5 in Miami. Four of those wins came during her semifinal run in 2021, when she lost to Andreescu in a dramatic three-setter.
That 2021 semifinal lasted nearly three hours, with Andreescu eventually prevailing in a third-set tiebreak well after midnight. Their only other meeting occurred later that year at the US Open, with Sakkari winning 6-3 in the third. In the rubber match on Friday, Maria has to be considered the favorite based on recent form, though it’s hard to ever count out Bianca, one of the sport’s most dogged competitors.
Leylah Fernandez vs. Belinda Bencic (9) – Fifth on Butch Buchholz Court
Fernandez is 8-6 in 2023, and on Wednesday earned her first-ever victory in Miami, over Lesia Tsurenko. Leylah has struggled to regain her form after suffering a serious foot injury in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros last June.
Bencic is a strong 15-4 to start the season, and has already collected two hard court titles (Adelaide, Abu Dhabi). While she’s just 8-6 lifetime in Miami, she did advance to the semifinals last year, losing to Naomi Osaka.
Leylah and Belinda have split four previous matches, two of which occurred during the Billie Jean King Cup, most recently last fall when Bencic won in straights. Just a few weeks earlier, Bencic also defeated Fernandez, this time 6-3 in the third in Guadalajara. This is another case where the Canadian should be considered the underdog, but a Canadian victory would not be shocking.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Andrey Rublev (6) vs. J.J. Wolf – Rublev is a modest 11-7 this year, and just 10-7 in Miami. Wolf is 9-6 this year, and reached the second week of a Major for the first time in Melbourne. Last summer in Washington, Andrey defeated J.J. in straight sets.
Varvara Gracheva (Q) vs. Ons Jabeur (4) – Jabeur is just 4-3 on the year, having undergone a minor surgery after the Australian Open. She’s is 1-0 against Gracheva, having defeated her in three sets last year in Madrid on clay.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Facundo Bagnis – Alcaraz is 14-1 since February, and needs to defend this title in order to retain the No.1 ranking. Bagnis’ win in the opening round was his first ATP-level main draw victory on a hard court since August. Last summer on clay in Umag, Alcaraz beat Bagnis 6-0, 6-4.
Caroline Garcia (5) vs. Sorana Cirstea – This is a rematch from just last week at Indian Wells, when Cirstea upset Garcia 7-5 in the third. Caroline claimed their other two previous meetings, though all three have now gone three sets.
Shelby Rogers vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka is now 17-2 in 2023, but is only 4-4 lifetime in Miami. Rogers eliminated another Slam champ, Sloane Stephens, in the first round. Aryna is 3-0 against Shelby, which includes a straight-set victory at January’s Australian Open.
Casper Ruud (3) vs. Ilya Ivashka – Ruud is defending runner-up points from a year ago, but is only 4-5 this season. Ivashka arrived at Indian Wells on a nine-match losing streak, yet has now claimed three of his last four matches.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.