Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA 1000 Miami Open match.
Last week was one of the most successful in Sonay Kartal's career. She broke into the last 16 at the prestigious WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, having started as a lucky loser. However, in the next major tournament, she still has to go through qualifying.
Sonay Kartal
The 23-year-old Brit reached the fourth round in Indian Wells, where she faced world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Unsurprisingly, the Belarusian won comfortably (6:1, 6:2) in just 1 hour 12 minutes. However, Kartal had earlier stunned Beatriz Haddad Maia (No. 18) by the same scoreline. Overall, she has a positive record this season (7-5) and is gaining confidence.
Taylor Townsend
Unlike Kartal, Townsend has struggled to qualify for top-tier tournaments. She failed to reach the main draw in both Dubai and Indian Wells and had a five-match losing streak at the start of the season. Her only notable wins came in qualifying semi-finals in Indian Wells and Miami. Now, she faces an opponent full of belief after last week's success.
Sonay Kartal vs Taylor Townsend Prediction
Since these two have never played each other, it’s hard to predict exactly how the match will unfold. However, Townsend's poor form this season suggests she will struggle. Kartal's momentum and confidence should give her the edge, securing victory with a small margin.
