The Miami Open presented by Itaú, the second part of the Sunshine Double and the fourth WTA 1000 tournament of the year, has revealed its draw.
The top female tennis players will compete in Southeast Florida at the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins (NFL), for one of the most prestigious and rewarding titles on the calendar.
Main draw matches will begin on Tuesday, March 18th. The top 32 seeded players will receive a bye in the first round and will begin their tournament in the second round on Thursday and Friday.
Here’s a detailed look at the draw highlights:
First Quarter
Top seeds: [1] Aryna Sabalenka, [7] Elena Rybakina, [9] Zheng Qinwen, [14] Danielle Collins
Notable first rounds: Sorana Cirstea vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Varvara Gracheva vs. Alycia Parks
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka aims to win her first Miami Open title after recently finishing as runner-up at Indian Wells. Following a first-round bye, her first opponent will be either Viktoriya Tomova or Caty McNally in the second round.
In the same quarter, No. 7 seed Elena Rybakina, a finalist in the last two Miami Opens (and narrowly missing the Sunshine Double in 2023), is looking to improve on her runner-up finishes.
If the seedings hold, Rybakina could face No. 9 seed Zheng Qinwen, the current Olympic gold medalist, in a Top 10 matchup in the Round of 16.
This quarter also includes the defending champion, Danielle Collins, who began a 15-match winning streak last year by claiming her first WTA 1000 title here. No. 14 seed Collins will play against either Sorana Cirstea or Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round.
Second Quarter
Top seeds: [3] Coco Gauff, [6] Jasmine Paolini, [12] Daria Kasatkina, [16] Beatriz Haddad Maia
Notable first rounds: Petra Kvitova vs. Sofia Kenin, Naomi Osaka vs. qualifier
No. 3 seed Coco Gauff is set to face a Grand Slam champion in the second round, either 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin or two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
Gauff’s record against Kenin is 2-2. Notably, her first-round defeat to Kenin at Wimbledon 2023 served as motivation for her successful 2023 summer, culminating in her US Open victory. Gauff also avenged that Wimbledon loss by defeating Kenin in the first round of this year’s Australian Open.
Kvitova will be participating in her third tournament since returning from maternity leave. Kvitova, the 2023 Miami champion who defeated Rybakina in the final, is seeking her first win of her comeback after early losses in Austin and Indian Wells.
Naomi Osaka, the 2022 Miami runner-up, will play a qualifier in her opening match. If she wins, she is slated to face No. 24 seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round.
Third Quarter
Top seeds: [4] Jessica Pegula, [8] Emma Navarro, [11] Mirra Andreeva, [13] Diana Shnaider, [17] Amanda Anisimova
Notable first rounds: Sayaka Ishii vs. Emma Raducanu, McCartney Kessler vs. Marie Bouzkova
The PIF WTA Singles Rankings feature four American women in the Top 10, and two of them, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro, are leading this quarter.
However, attention will be focused on 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who has won the last two WTA 1000 titles (Dubai and Indian Wells) and is now aiming for a third consecutive title — and the Sunshine Double. She could become the youngest player to achieve the Sunshine Double in the same year.
Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova (Doha), the two WTA 1000 champions from the Middle East Swing, could potentially face each other in a blockbuster third-round match if they both win their first matches.
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu is also positioned in this section and will face Japanese teenage wild card Sayaka Ishii in the first round. The winner of this match will play Navarro in the second round.
Fourth Quarter
Top seeds: [2] Iga Swiatek, [5] Madison Keys, [10] Paula Badosa, [15] Karolina Muchova, [20] Clara Tauson
Notable first rounds: Anhelina Kalinina vs. Victoria Azarenka, Dayana Yastremska vs. Belinda Bencic
This quarter is also strong, featuring two Top 5 seeds, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys, both semifinalists at the recent BNP Paribas Open.
Swiatek, who completed the Sunshine Double here with a title in 2022, might face former Top 5 player Caroline Garcia in the second round for the second tournament in a row. Swiatek defeated Garcia 6-2, 6-0 in the second round at Indian Wells.
Victoria Azarenka (2016), the only other active player to have achieved the Sunshine Double, is also in this quarter. Azarenka, a three-time Miami champion, will play Anhelina Kalinina in the first round and could potentially face No. 15 seed Karolina Muchova in the second round.
Belinda Bencic, another player returning after maternity leave, will attempt to continue her successful comeback against Dayana Yastremska in the first round. The winner of that match will face No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina, another player who has shown excellent form after returning from maternity leave.
