There was plenty of drama as the women’s draw for the Miami Open made
With Serena Williams playing her second tournament in her post-pregnancy comeback at the Miami Open, there was added drama as the draw for this important two-week event was made.
It did not disappoint.
Williams, the six-time Miami Open champion and the 23-time major singles champion, drew about the most dramatic and intriguing first-round opponent she could have when, by the luck of the draw, she drew a first-round match-up with Naomi Osaka of Japan, who the same day was staking her claim as the newest star in women’s tennis by winning the BNP Paribas Open.
The Williams vs. Osaka match will probably be the most anticipated first-round match in the history of the Miami Open.
Osaka, 20, won her first professional singles title Sunday with her 6-4, 6-2 win over Daria Kasatkina. En route to the title, she also beat former world No. 1s Maria Sharapova, Karolina Pliskova and the current No. 1 Simona Halep, the last two only a total of eight games in both matches combined.
Williams will only be playing in her second singles tournament since she gave birth in September. She was officially unranked In Indian Wells, she defeated Zarina Diyas and Kiki Bertens before losing to older sister Venus in the third round. Her results in Indian Wells give her a ranking of No. 491 this week.
While Osaka seemed completely prepared in her on-court dismissals of her opponents in Indian Wells, she seemed a bit shell-shocked and nervous in her post-match speech, revealing just how new to the scene she actually is. Will she be able to handle her new scrutiny and the new expectations under the lights of a high-profile Miami Open match with Serena Williams? As with many newly-crowned stars in tennis, it takes them a while mentally to get used to their new status. Take for instance Sloane Stephens, who did not win a match for almost six months after she won the 2017 U.S. Open.
The early-round women’s drama, however, does not stop with the Osaka-Williams match. For starters, the winner of that massive first-round match will have to face world No. 4 Elina Svitolina in the second round, providing more early-round women’s excitement in Miami. Also, on the other half of the draw, Victoria Azarenka, who like Serena Williams is also a high-profile mother on the WTA Tour, faces promising young American player Cici Bellis in another fascinating first-round match-up. The winner of this first-rounder will then face 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys in another appetizing match-up for fans!
Simona Halep, the world No. 1, is the No. 1 seed, but looked vulnerable and not confident en route to a shaky run to the semifinals in Indian Wells. Her toughest foes in her half of the draw could be Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza, who is coming off of a disappointing opening round loss to Sachia Vichery in Indian Wells, Keys, the No. 10 seed and potentially Bellis and Azarenka, and No. 7 seed, the much improved Caroline Garcia who seems primed for a breakthrough big-tournament win. Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, the 2015 finalist in Miami and a quarterfinalist in Indian Wells, could also be a sleeper pick in the Miami Open betting odds.
Caroline Wozniacki, the No. 2 seed and the reigning Australian Open, has played well in Miami and even beat Serena Williams there, may have a good run Miami in the other half of the draw that is packed with both Williams sisters, although Venus and Serena would not face each other until the semifinals, if they both get that far.
