On Wednesday, Major champions Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu will meet in a blockbuster first round matchup.
Main draw action is already underway in Miami. The women’s singles draw started play on Tuesday, with the men joining them on Wednesday. Just like Indian Wells, the top 32 singles seeds receive first round byes, so the big names will begin play later this week.
Those top names include Indian Wells champion Carlos Alcaraz, who needs to defend this Miami title in order to maintain the No.1 ranking he just regained on Monday. WTA No.1 Iga Swiatek looks to defend this title after failing to do so at Indian Wells, and is one of 11 Major singles champions in the women’s draw, which also includes Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and newly-crowned Indian Wells champ Elena Rybakina.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Bianca Andreescu vs. Emma Raducanu – 12:00pm on Stadium Court
Andreescu is just 6-6 on the year, but played well against Swiatek earlier this month at Indian Wells. She’s only played the Miami Open twice, reaching the fourth round in 2019, and the final in 2021, eventually retiring during that championship match against Ash Barty.
Raducanu is 5-3 in 2023, and also lost to Swiatek at Indian Wells. While Emma only managed to claim four games against the World No.1, but she did manage to win three matches earlier in the event. Raducanu made her Miami Open debut last year, losing her opening round match 7-5 in the third to Katerina Siniakova.
Their only previous meeting did not reveal much. It took place last May on clay in Rome, with Andreescu prevailing after Raducanu retired during the second set. Both players have suffered from many injuries of late, so hopefully they’re both fully healthy for what could be a great match if they are. But based on recent form, as well as her previous success at this event, I like Bianca to win again on this day.
Sloane Stephens vs. Shelby Rogers – Not Before 7:00pm on Stadium Court
Stephens is just 4-6 to start the year, and lost in the first round of Indian Wells two weeks ago to another American, Sofia Kenin. Sloane won this event in 2018, the only WTA 1000 title of her career.
Rogers is 5-6 this season, and had a losing record in 2022. She’s only 5-4 lifetime in the main draw of the Miami Open, but two of her biggest results have come on American soil: a US Open quarterfinal as well as an Indian Wells quarterfinal.
Surprisingly, this is the first career meeting between these two WTA veterans. Both are now 30-year-old, after Stephens celebrated her birthday on Monday. I give Sloane the slight edge in this all-American matchup based on her superior movement, as well as her fond memories of playing in Miami.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Alexander Bublik vs. J.J. Wolf – Wolf reached the second week of the Australian Open in January, and the semifinals of the Dallas Open in February. Bublik has struggled this season, losing his first eight matches in 2023. This past October in Florence, Wolf defeated Bublik in three sets.
Andy Murray vs. Dusan Lajovic – Murray is now 8-4 on the year, and has played and won some of 2023’s most dramatic matches. Lajovic is 7-5 this season, but hasn’t won a hard court match in six months.
Sofia Kenin vs. Storm Hunter (Q) – Kenin is 6-7 this year, but is showing signs of her 2020 level, losing two very competitive sets at Indian Wells against Rybakina. Storm has not won a WTA tour main draw singles match in nearly two years.
Ugo Humbert vs. Gael Monfils (PR) – Monfils is 0-2 at all levels since returning from an extended injury leave. His fellow countryman is a former top 25 player who reached a Challenger final on a hard court earlier this month.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
