The Miami Open tennis tournament continues with the quarterfinals and that’s where we’ll pick up our tennis picks. Looking back to Tuesday, we went 1-1 on the card with the other quarterfinals tennis picks. We managed to get the win with Karolina Pliskova as she dismantled Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Baroni was competitive but fell 6-3 and 6-4. In our other match, we ended up losing with Lucie Safarova. We had her against Caroline Wozniacki but Woz controlled the entire way. She would go on to win 6-4, 6-3, making it an even 1-1 for our day.
Looking ahead to Wednesday, two showcase-level matchups that should draw enthusiastic crowds to Crandon Park. Fans don’t want anonymous names at this stage of a tournament, and their wish to see known entities in women’s tennis has been granted. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at our tennis picks for Wednesday’s card.
Simona Halep vs. Johanna Konta
For the third consecutive year, Simona Halep advanced to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open but it wasn’t before some drama unfolded. Halep was down in the dumps a set and a break and had to save a match point. Generally, there is no scope of comeback from such precarious positions, but improbable comebacks happen every now and then. Halep displayed guts with her forehand and she got rewarded for it with another lifeline.
While Halep is getting all the praise, it’s also important to notice that Samantha Stosur’s level dropped drastically with errors under pressure. The shorter returns from the Australian allowed Halep to step in and pounce. Halep made most of the opportunity with a flawless third set, where she dropped just two points behind her first serve to send the Australian into absolute shock. In doing that, the Romanian also secured her first come-from-behind three-set win since Montreal last year.
Johanna Konta beat Lara Arruabarrena in straight sets to book an exciting quarterfinal clash with Halep. In their only previous match in Wuhan in 2015, Konta came back from a 5-1 deficit in the third to win.
Halep has had a below-par season, but like Angelique Kerber, she has come alive in Miami. Halep is back defending balls from every corner of the court, fighting on every point and finding ways to win. Konta has matches under her belt and looks like a superior player, but on slow hard courts, a resurgent Halep might be ready to reclaim her place as a player everyone looks to as a major title contender. Halep is the choice for our tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Halep in three sets
Angelique Kerber vs. Venus Williams
Angelique Kerber may be the No. 1 player in the world rankings, but she is nowhere close to her best. She is struggling big time and was just 9-6 entering Miami. So far in this tournament, Kerber has managed to beat Ying-Ying Duan, Shelby Rogers and Risa Ozaki all in straight sets in the previous three rounds. The bigger test awaits her in the quarterfinal in the form of Venus Williams. However, the courts in Miami are tailor-made for somebody like Kerber, who has outrageous defensive skills. She is more likely to get to almost every shot on a slower court which doesn’t allow balls to get past her.
Venus reached the Australian Open final and the quarterfinals at both Indian Wells and Miami. Only Karolina Pliskova and Caroline Wozniacki have matched her North American swing results in mandatory Premier events this year. Venus is 13-3 this season and is looking in great form, but to beat Kerber, she’ll have to keep hitting the ball flat and early, rush to the net and kill points as early as possible. If Venus finds it hard to do that, Kerber will be the semifinalist.
Players can lose focus and grow impatient when facing the game’s best defender. Kerber has made millions by beating attacking players, but the Kerber of 2017 is short on confidence and is still coming to terms with her No. 1 ranking. Venus gets the nod here. Take her with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Venus in three sets
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