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British No. 1 Emma Raducanu is set for a tough start to her Miami Open campaign after taking on Bianca Andreescu.
Raducanu and Andreescu can be prepared to compete in the first round match, the top 32 seeds will not work until the second round.
The match is a battle between two former US Open champions, with Raducanu winning in 2021, two years after Andreescu lifted the title in New York.
Main draw singles at Miami Open (WTA 1000).
1R: Bianca Andreescu vs. Emma Raducanu, the winner to play Maria Sakkari. #Miami Open pic.twitter.com/bxuwnXQayO
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 19, 2023
Radukanu won three matches in a row in Indian Wells before going to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who had earlier worked Andreescu.
Andreescu has great memories in Miami, losing his championship match to Ash Barty in 2021.
The pair’s clash comes in the third quarter.
Things won’t be easy for the winner, who will face No. 7 seed Maria Sakkari in the second round. Sakari is coming off a semi-final appearance at Indian Wells.
Defending champion Swiatek is ranked No. 1 at the top of the division.
Swiatek picked up the injury against Indian Wells and will be assessed ahead of her second-round match, where she will play the winner of the first-round match between Katarina Siniakova and Claire Liu.
She’s not quite the world No. 1 as she was last time she was in the midst of a 37-match winning streak that looks to be the best on the WTA Tout this century.
Swiatek reached the semifinals in Indian Wells but won’t have an easy time in Miami against 16 opponents, including No. 13 Beatriz Haddad Mia or No. 24 Jelena Ostapenko.
Ostapenko was runner-up at the 2018 Miami Open, the last event held at the old venue in Key Biscayne.
Swiatek can’t thank the tennis gods for putting 2022 Wimbledon champion Elina Rabakina in her path.
The world No. 1 could find the woman who beat Indian Wells last week in the last eight in Miami.
Rybakina, No. 8 Daria Katkina and No. 21 Paula Badosa are the seeds in the top quarter of the draw.
The first two Americans, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Coco Gauff, could face off in an All-American quarterfinal match.
Two-time Miami Open winner 14th seed Victoria Azarenka could be Pegula’s opponent in the round of 16. Before then, Pegula will have to get past 30th-ranked American Danielle Collins and Czech hopeful Linda Fruhvirtova. .
Gauff will have to beat No. 12 Lyudmila Samsonova, No. 23 Zeng Qinwen, No. 27 Anastasia Potapova and recent Austin winner Marta Ktuk to advance to the quarterfinals.
Belinda Bencic, Leylah Fernandez and Sofia Kenin are hidden in this part of the competition. In the second round, Bencic and Fernandez may face each other.
Ons Jabeur, who is ranked 4th and will meet with Marina Zaniewska or take the third quarter in the second round of qualifying.
Jaber, who is playing her first match since the Australian Open in Indian Wells, could face either No. 15 Petra Kvitova or No. 22 Donna Vekic in the round of 16.
The bottom of the picture is where Arina Sabalenka is sleeping. She went 17-1 for the year and won the Australian Open.
The winner of the match between Sloan Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, and Shelby Rogers will play Sabalenka in the second round.
The round of 16 clash between Sabalenka and No. 16 Barbora Krejcikova could be the third consecutive WTA 1000 tournament match. In Dubai, Krejcikova dealt Sabalenka her only loss of the year, but Sabalenka got revenge in the round of 16 against Indian Wells.
The top three players in the fourth quarter are No. 5 Caroline Garcia, No. 11 Veronika Kudermetova and No. 17 Karolina Pliskova.
Read more: Elena Rybakina poised for new career-high WTA ranking
