Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA 1000 Miami Open match.
For the second tournament in a row, the US Open champion faces a Japanese opponent in the first round. In Indian Wells, Raducanu lost to Moyuka Uchijima (3:6, 2:6). How will it go this time?
Sayaka Ishii
It is worth clarifying that the 23-year-old Uchijima was ranked 52nd in the world at the time. Ishii, however, is younger—she is only 19. In 2022, when Uchijima was already fighting for a place in the top 100, Ishii was just taking her first steps in professional tennis. She is currently ranked 188th. This season, the Japanese player has won 10 of her 16 matches, but most of those victories have come on the ITF circuit. As the eighth-ranked Japanese player, she attempted to qualify for a lower-tier tournament in Canberra but failed, and she also fell in the second qualifying round of the Australian Open.
Emma Raducanu
For the Brit, an early elimination from the Indian Wells tournament was not an exception but rather the rule this season. She has not progressed beyond the round of 32 in any event. However, her performance at the Australian Open stands out. Ranked 61st in the WTA rankings, Raducanu defeated 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova (7:6, 7:6) and world No. 35 Amanda Anisimova (6:3, 7:5). She was eventually stopped by former world No. 1 Iga Świątek (1:6, 0:6).
Sayaka Ishii vs Emma Raducanu Prediction
Even though Emma Raducanu is not in her best form, her Japanese opponent lacks the experience to challenge her. Sayaka Ishii would need either a miracle or an injury to her opponent to stand a chance. The Brit will secure a straight-sets victory.
