Quite a big statement was made in Indian Wells, with Mirra Andreeva thrusting her name into the conversation of the best players in the women’s game at the moment. The tour now heads to the east coast of the US, with the next week and half of tennis set to take place in Miami. Let’s take a look at each quarter and then come back to discuss any outright prices that might stand out.
WTA Miami Outright Preview & Betting Tips
Quarter 1
Aryna Sabalenka was a set away from an Indian Wells title, as she looked to assert her dominance over the Mirra Andreeva head to head in 2025. However, the world number 1 just couldn’t quite find her way to the finish line and became another conquest of the phenomenal teenager’s run. Sabalenka will be glad to see Andreeva in the other half of the draw here, with the biggest threat to her in her own quarter being Elena Rybakina, followed by a potentially run from the likes of Danielle Collins and Qinwen Zheng in the middle portion of this quarter. It’s hard to make a strong case for players outside of Sabalenka here on form, as she should be a strong favourite in any potential match-up were it to occur.
Quarter 2
There was a very brief period at the start of the season where Coco Gauff looked almost invincible. The United Cup was the first time in a long time that I could sit down and watch her play tennis, and have extreme confidence in her forehand wing in sustained rallies with top players. That all started to fall apart against Paula Badosa in the second week in Melbourne, and both her forehand and her serve have gone amiss since. She threw away a great opportunity for another deep, deep run at Indian Wells with a lapse late against Belinda Bencic, and the American is one to keep an eye on in terms of her draw being quite favourable compared to the other top players. I think I am willing to give her one last chance.
Quarter 3
Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro lead the third quarter, and both came in to Indian Wells off the back of titles. Neither put their best foot forward last fortnight, and they will be keen to make amends here in Miami. Of the pair, I think I prefer the draw of Pegula, as Navarro has potentially the trickiest section of the entire draw. Why is that? She has LindaNoskova, Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva in her HALF of the quarter. It will take something special to get out of this section. Then whoever comes out of the bottom half of this quarter will then need to face them to simply get out of the quarter. This whole section is a pass for me.
Quarter 4
Iga Swiatek cut a dejected and frustrated figure on her way out of the Indian Wells tournament in the semi finals, and she will be keen to steady the ship here before the season moves to her preferred clay. Swiatek hasn’t quite had the start to the year that she had hoped, however her draw here in these conditions looks to be pretty favourable. She isn’t going to be blown off the court between now and the semi finals by any opponent that she has a high likelihood of facing, and shapes as a name that should be there come the pointy end of the tournament. I’d be eager to see a third round clash between Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys were it to eventuate, and with Paula Badosa not quite at 100%, there may be an opportunity for Clara Tauson to make another run and continue her strong start to the 2025 season.
Summary
Ultimately, I am going to settle on three players here that are in the Top 6 in the market. I am going to take Iga Swiatekto win the tournament, Coco Gauff to win the tournament, and set things up so an Aryna Sabalenka title results in a near breakeven result for me. Looking forward to watching the tournament unfold.
Suggested Bets
0.75 units Iga Swiatek to win Miami at $5 at Ladbrokes
0.5 units Aryna Sabalenka to win Miami at $4.50 at Ladbrokes
0.5 units Coco Gauff to win Miami at $13 at Bet365
