The seeds on the lower half of the draw will begin their campaigns at the Miami Open on Thursday. We preview the must-see matchups right here at WTATennis.com.
Thursday, Second round
[2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #3) vs. [Q] Madison Brengle (USA #86)
Head-to-head: Pliskova leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Pliskova leads the WTA with 167 aces in 20 matches this year.
In 2015, Karolina Pliskova proved that her game is a good match for the hardcourts of the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Miami when she powered to the quarterfinals for the first time. Last year, after a breakout performance at Indian Wells where she reached the semis, Pliskova arrived in Miami wearing some fatigue and was bounced in the opening round by Timea Babos. Pliskova is eager to prove that she’s up for the challenge of putting up good results in both legs of the Sunshine Double, having made a second straight semifinal in California.
“I did semis last year and then I lost in first round here,” she said on Tuesday. “So I just want to change this. I know I struggle after I do a good result in one tournament and then coming to a different tournament after. I think I’m in good shape this year, so hopefully I can change it in this tournament.”
Pliskova will face a tricky opponent in World No.86 Madison Brengle. The Delaware native reached the third round here last year and already has two qualifying matches under her belt in addition to her first-round win over Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday.
Pick: Pliskova in two
[6]Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6) vs. Christina McHale (USA #46)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Muguruza reached the quarterfinals as a wildcard in Miami in 2012.
Miami will always hold a special place in Garbiñe Muguruza’s heart. As an 18-year-old she parlayed a Wild Card into her first tour-level victory at Miami, then rolled all the way to the round of 16. “This is such a great tournament for me because this was like my breakthrough,” Muguruza said at All-Access Hour. “I got a wildcard and I beat two Top 10s and went to fourth round, which was quite amazing. Plus I love the environment, I love the Latin American people, so I feel very at home here.”
Muguruza has been back to the round of 16 twice since that breakthrough, but this year she’ll look to take it a step or two further. That quest begins on Thursday with a battle against a tough competitor who has defeated her before. American Christina McHale knocked off Muguruza at Indian Wells last year and she improved to 5-0 in first-round matches at Miami with a three-set win over Germany’s Annika Beck on Wednesday.
Will McHale be able to recover from her three-hour battle with the German in time to challenge Muguruza? Or will the Spaniard get her revenge and begin another memorable run in Miami?
Pick: Muguruza in two
[23] Daria Gavrilova (AUS #26) vs. Lucie Safarova (CZE #36)
Head-to-head: Tied, 2-2
Key Stat: Safarova entered the week ninth on tour in first-serve points won (72 percent).
Australia’s Daria Gavrilova has her own Miami wildcard success story. Two years ago she burst on to the scene by upsetting then-World No.2 Maria Sharapova en route to a round of 16 appearance. “I have been dreaming about beating Maria since I was probably 12 when I saw her win Wimbledon, when she beat Serena,” an elated Gavrilova said at the time. That victory helped Gavrilova forge her identity on tour and also catapulted her higher in the rankings. She was barely inside the Top 100 at the time and now the Aussie resides inside the Top 30. But to go higher Gavrilova will have to win more consistently. She’s 6-6 this season but has only managed one win out of six contests against the Top 20.
On Thursday she’ll face a former Top 10 player who looks ready to make a big rise up the rankings herself in Lucie Safarova. The Czech battled injuries throughout 2016 but is healthy – and winning – again. After winning only 15 tour-level matches in 2016, Safarova has already claimed 13 victories in less than three months in 2017. Will she keep it rolling on Thursday or will Gavrilova use some more of that Miami magic to advance?
Pick: Safarova in three
[27] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ #32) vs. Carina Witthoeft (GER #71)
Head-to-head: Witthoeft leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Both previous encounters between Witthoeft and Putintseva have gone three sets.
Yulia Putintseva may outrank Germany’s Carina Witthoeft significantly but the German has swept both previous meetings with the Kazakh, defeating Putintseva twice last year in three sets. So, will the feisty Putintseva take her revenge on Thursday? It should be another tricky encounter. The 22-year-old Putintseva already has a final and two Top 10 wins to her name this season but she has only gone 3-3 against players ranked outside the Top 50 and has never won a main draw match at Miami. Witthoeft advanced to the second round for the second consecutive year with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Nicole Gibbs on Tuesday.
Pick: Putintseva in three
[4] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #4) vs. [Q] Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR #131)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Cibulkova is making her tenth career appearance at Miami.
Playing at a career-high ranking of No.4 in the world, Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova is excited to return to the tournament that she has always adored. Cibulkova made her first appearance here in 2007 and the rest is history. “From the first time I played here… it was my favorite tournament,” she told WTA Insider at all-access hour on Tuesday. “And it still is, because I have so many great memories here at this tournament.” The 2014 semifinalist owns a 14-9 lifetime record at Miami, but missed 2015 due to injury and was unseeded last year and ended up falling to Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round. With only 35 rankings points to defend she will open accounts against Paraguay’s Veronica Cepede Royg in a first-time meeting on Thursday. Cibulkova has reached the third round in seven of her nine Miami appearances while Cepede Royg made her Miami Open main draw debut on Wednesday, defeating Misaki Doi in straight sets.
Pick: Cibulkova in two
Around the Grounds:
No.5-seeded and 2012 Miami Open champion Agnieszka Radwanska will face China’s Wang Qiang for the fourth time. The Pole has won all three decisions in straight sets against Wang and Radwanska owns a 28-9 lifetime record at Miami.
By the Numbers:
5-1 – Safarova improved to 5-1 in tiebreak sets on Wednesday when she defeated Yanina Wickmayer, 7-6(2) 6-4.
5 – Muguruza is tied for second on tour with five three-set wins this season (Svitolina has six).
19 – Pliskova’s 19 wins are tied for second on tour this season, behind only Svitolina’s 20.
