Elena Rybakina begins her quest to reach her third straight final at the WTA Miami Open. But she faces a potentially tricky opening match against the big-hitting Ashlyn Krueger, who is already off the mark in the tournament. Who will advance to the next round?
WTA Miami Day 3 Predictions
Leylah Fernandez vs Alycia Parks
Head-to-head: Parks 1-0 Fernandez
Parks was on the brink of defeat in her opening match but rallied from 3-6 2-5 down and saved a match point to win in three sets. She is playing with newfound confidence and resilience. The same can not be said of Fernandez. The Canadian is out of form with four defeats in her last six matches. Parks doesn’t hold back in taking risks and if she strikes the ball deftly as she did in beating Gracheva, she’ll be rewarded with her third Top 30 win of the season.
Prediction: Parks in 3
Taylor Townsend vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: first meeting
Putintseva cracked the Top 20 for the first time this season. But she’s had mixed results since that milestone. The Kazakh has posted one win in her last six matches and is currently on a three-match losing streak. At the moment her ranking has cascaded to 24th and she could fall even further if she doesn’t defend quarterfinal points in Miami. Her next task won’t be easy. Townsend is flying in her home tournament, winning a couple of qualifying matches before seeing off Ann Li in the main draw. If the American resists walking into the trap of playing prolonged rallies, she can throw off Putintseva’s ineffective gritty tennis.
Prediction: Townsend in 3
Rebecca Sramkova vs Jasmine Paolini
Head-to-head: Sramkova 4-3 Paolini
It’s tough to form any immediate conclusions from Paolini’s recent form. She’s lost heavily in four of her five defeats this season. After exceeding expectations in 2024, the results have been less than stellar in the early phase of 2025. Sramkova had little left in the tank when she lost a key singles rubber to Paolini in the BJK Cup final at the end of last season. But the Slovak is a solid, all-court player who is physically imposing on a hard court. Sramkova is also one of two players to defeat the talented Mirra Andreeva this season. And because of Paolini’s fluctuating form, this match could have an upset written over it.
Prediction: Sramkova in 2
Elena Rybakina vs Ashlyn Krueger
Head-to-head: first meeting
Rybakina has reached the last two finals in Miami. The former Wimbledon champion remains without a title this season after losing a pair of semifinals and one quarterfinal. Krueger was winless in Miami before this week (0-3) but dropped just five games in a straight sets dismissal of Renata Zarazua in the first round. The worrying statistic is that Rybakina is playing second fiddle to some of her direct rivals. Five of her last six defeats have come against Top 10 players. So, this is the kind of matchup that heavily favors the seventh seed to win with ease.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
