Each day before play at the Miami Open, we’ll preview and predict three must-see matches.
Garbiñe Muguruza [6] vs. Caroline Wozniacki [12]
Muguruza made a name for herself by beating Wozniacki, first at the 2013 Miami Open and again at the Australian Open the following January. Wozniacki has returned the favor just once in their four matches, in Tokyo in 2014. But this one feels like a toss-up. So far in Key Biscayne, Muguruza has battled her “demons,” as she says, through two roller-coaster three-setters in Key Biscayne, while a resurgent Wozniacki, who looks poised to break back into the Top 10, has won both of her matches in straights. This early-afternoon meeting in the stadium will come down, as it always does, to Wozniacki’s opponent. Can Muguruza keep her head up and her shots inside the lines for two full sets? If so, she’ll win. Winner: Wozniacki
Roger Federer [4] vs. Juan Martin del Potro [29]
Federer has won 15 of his 20 matches against Del Potro, but their last meeting came in 2013. Normally, that passage of time would favor the 28-year-old Argentine over the 35-year-old Swiss. But does it right now? While Del Potro is 6-3 in 2017, Federer is 14-1, with wins at a Grand Slam and a Masters. This match will also be played in the afternoon, when conditions will likely be faster, a fact that should also help Federer. Del Potro, who has lost two three-set matches to Novak Djokovic in the last month, would seem to be due for a big win. And Federer would, logically, seem to be due for a defeat at the hands of an elite opponent like Delpo. But I still wouldn’t bet on it. Winner: Federer
Svetlana Kuznetsova [7] vs. Venus Williams [11]
Monday’s final encounter in the main stadium will pit two veteran Grand Slam champions and survivors of uncountable ups and downs over the last 15 years. This is a match many WTA devotees have been waiting for; the ever-popular Venus and Sveta have been on the upswing for more than a year now, but they’ve met just once during that time, in Wuhan last fall. Venus, who lost 6-2, 6-2, wasn’t really up for that one, but chances are she will be in Miami on Monday. She made a specialty of unlikely-looking comeback wins in Indian Wells, and she has been sharp so far at this event. But so has Kuznetsova, who reached the Indian Wells final and leads their head to head 5-4. Winner: Kuznetsova