Two two-time Grand Slam champions (and former Miami champions) face off in Miami today, with 15th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova taking on 13th seed Victoria Azarenka for the Miami Open title.This match is set to take place at 13:00 Miami Time (18:00 UK Time) and both are aiming to regain the title, with Kuznetsova looking for her second title in Key Biscayne, whilst Azarenka is looking for her third title.
Azarenka has had the easier road of the two; she has yet to drop a set in Miami. Arguably her toughest match came in the fourth round against Garbine Muguruza, where she was pushed to two tiebreaks, though impressed in wins over Johanna Konta and Angelique Kerber since then and she’ll be pretty hard to beat here. In contrast, Kuznetsova has only played one match where she hasn’t gone to three sets; an impressive win over Timea Bacsinszky in the semi-finals. Her biggest result of the tournament was coming from a set down to ease past Serena Williams, whilst she also did well to tough out a win against Caroline Garcia in the 3rd round; she’ll be very confident after her run.
Both are talented players, though Azarenka is the more powerful of the two and that could be a big advantage for the Belorussian. Azarenka should look to serve well and must be prepared for anything, as Kuznetsova has varied her game well in all her matches, and will also look to take every opportunity she gets on second serve. The 13th seed should also look to try and finish points off quickly, as Kuznetsova could defend well and work herself into points. The Russian will probably need to defend well today against Azarenka’s power, and Kuznetsova will also probably need to serve well; she has done that for most the tournament. The 15th seed should also look to try and get Azarenka moving around court as much as possible, and should attack the Belorussian’s game at every opportunity she gets.
The head to head is evenly tied at 4-4, though Azarenka has won their past three meetings in straight sets, as well as their only previous meeting in Miami in three sets. Azarenka is the favourite for this match and considering how much less she has been on court than Kuznetsova, she should be able to win the title fairly comfortably.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
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