Tennis | Miami 2024 | Elena Rybakina takes on Maria Sakkari for semi-final spot as Carlos Alcaraz bids for quarter-finals

03/26/2024 06:21 AM

By Tony Fairbairn

• Elena Rybakina [4] v Maria Sakkari [8]
• Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Lorenzo Musetti [23]
• Victoria Azarenka [27] v Yulia Putintseva
• Hubert Hurkacz [8] v Grigor Dimitrov [11]

MIAMI, USA – Elena Rybakina looks for a spot in the semi-finals as she takes the in-form Maria Sakkari while Carlos Alcaraz bids for a place in the quarter-finals in Miami.

Elena Rybakina [4] v Maria Sakkari [8] H2H & Match Fundamentals

After missing out on having the chance to defend her Indian Wells title, Elena Rybakina has responded to the setback in impressive fashion as the Kazakh is into the quarter-finals in Miami. After three set wins over Clara Tauson and Taylor Townsend, Rybakina was in flawless form against Madison Keys as the world number four is looking to build momentum ahead of the clay court season. Now Rybakina looks to go one round better than last year as she is the highest seeded player left in the draw.

However Rybakina has the toughest quarter-final on paper as she takes on in-form Maria Sakkari with the Greek yet to drop a set in Miami. The world number nine is looking to back up her run to the final at Indian Wells with another deep run at Miami and so far things have gone to plan for Sakkari. The consistent efficiency from Sakkari on serve has been impressive so far and now Sakkari looks to continue that form as she looks for her second career semi-final in Florida.

Rybakina will continue to play high-risk tennis on big points as she looks to use the angles to open up space on the court. Meanwhile Sakkari will aim for consistency as she aims to test Rybakina's fitness levels by extending the rallies while being efficient on serve. Despite Rybakina being tested more over the fortnight, the Kazakh remains favourite to advance although an improved Sakkari will test that theory out.

Prediction: Rybakina in three sets.

Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Lorenzo Musetti [23] H2H & Match Fundamentals

A comfortable win for Carlos Alcaraz over the charismatic Gael Monfils sees the Spaniard continue his momentum from Indian Wells. After winning the title at Indian Wells, Alcaraz is aiming for the sunshine double as he has turned doubts over his form into victories. Now the Spaniard looks to show why he is the biggest threat to Novak Djokovic's world number one ranking ahead of a big next few months for Alcaraz with the clay court season and his Wimbledon title defence coming up.

Next for Alcaraz is another confident young player in the form of Italian Lorenzo Musetti. The 23^rd seed made a big statement by knocking out Ben Shelton in straight sets as Musetti is looking to overcome a poor start to the season. Miami is the first tournament this season where the Italian has won back-to-back matches and the 22 year-old will be hoping whatever happens against Alcaraz that this tournament can be a platform for bigger things over the next month.

Alcaraz will aim to show his athleticism as he looks to use his defensive game to force Musetti into hitting shorter balls therefore giving the Spaniard an opportunity to be aggressive on the forehand side. Meanwhile Musetti will aim to use depth and pace on the backhand side to force Alcaraz behind the baseline as he looks to finish points off at the net. This will be a tight start to the match but the Spaniard should eventually cruise to the quarter-finals.

Prediction: Alcaraz in straight sets.     

Victoria Azarenka [27] v Yulia Putintseva H2H & Match Fundamentals

An impressive win for Victoria Azarenka over a confident Katie Boulter sees the 27^th seed into the quarter-finals in Miami and a real opportunity of winning a big title this week. It has been a consistently good start to the season for Azarenka who has now won three or more matches in a tournament on four occasions this season. Now Azarenka will aim to continue her aggressive tennis as she aims for a place in the semi-finals with a big opportunity to win the title awaiting.

Next up for Azarenka is surprise quarter-finalist Yulia Putintseva with the world number 68 producing some consistently good tennis this week. The Kazakh has beaten Liudmila Samsonova and Anhelina Kalinina in order to reach the last eight and go one better than she did at Indian Wells. Now Putintseva will look to swing for the fences as she has nothing to lose with a place in the last four awaiting.

Azarenka will look to dominate on serve and use the angles to open up the space on the court in order to hit efficient winners. Meanwhile Putintseva will aim to be aggressive on return, looking to use depth to force Azarenka back, forcing Azarenka to hit passive shots. This should be a tricky test for Azarenka but the former champion should have too much quality for the Kazakh.

Prediction: Azarenka in straight sets.

Hubert Hurkacz [8] v Grigor Dimitrov [11] H2H & Match Fundamentals

It's back-to-back wins for Hubert Hurkacz in Miami after a poor run of form after the Australian Open. The world number nine will be relieved to find some momentum especially defeating tough opposition such as Alexander Shevchenko and Sebastian Korda. Now Hurkacz will look to score a big victory in his bid to gain form in what has been a turbulent start to the season.

Next for Hurkacz is an in-form Grigor Dimitrov who has started his season in fine form. The Bulgarian started the year with a title in Brisbane and has gone from strength-to-strength as he has won back-to-back matches at every tournament he has played this season. Now Dimitrov will aim for a deep run in Miami as he hasn't always performed well in bigger draws at the bigger tournaments.

Hurkacz will aim for consistency on serve as the Pole searches for angles in order to open up the court and make Dimitrov run. Meanwhile Dimitrov will look to be aggressive on the backhand as he will use variety to make the Pole cover a lot of the court. This will be a good match with a lot on the line for both players but Dimitrov's confidence should see him win a fifth consecutive match over Hurkacz.

Prediction: Dimitrov in three sets.   

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