By Chris Oddo | Monday, March 23, 2015
If Serena Williams is fit enough to play Miami, the American will be bidding for a second three-peat at the event. Here's how the draw shapes up.
Photo Source: Christopher Levy (@Tennis_Shots)
Provided that she’s healthy enough to play, world No. 1 Serena Williams will look to add another title to her gaudy Miami Open resume this week. The seven-time defending champion will bid for a second career three-peat at the event, starting with a second round match with either Monica Niculescu or American Shelby Rogers.
See the Complete Miami Open Women's Singles Draw Here
But Williams attendance at the event is no guarantee—she was forced out of last week’s BNP Paribas due to a right knee injury.
If she progresses through, Williams could face 29th-seeded Zarina Diyas in the third round and 13th-seeded Angelique Kerber in the round of 16 if the seeds hold.
Williams’ projected quarterfinal opponent is 5th-seeded Ana Ivanovic.
Indian Wells champion and 3rd-seeded Simona Halep will look to become just the third woman to claim the prestigious Indian Wells-Miami double (along with Steffi Graf and Kim Clijsters) and will face either Nicole Vaidisova or a qualifier in round two.
Vaidisova, 25, is making a return to the WTA Tour after a five-year absence. The former world No. 7 played her first tour-level match since 2010 in Monterrrey, losing to Ana Ivanovic in straight sets.
If the seeds hold, Halep would face 30th-seeded Camilia Giorgi in the third round and 15th-seeded Flavia Pennetta in the round of 16, before a quarterfinal meeting with Canada’s 6th-seeded Eugenie Bouchard.
Also of interest in Halep’s section is unseeded Victoria Azarenka. The two-time Miami champion could face Jelena Jankovic in round two, after an opening-round tussle with Spain’s Silvia Soler-Espinosa. Lucie Safarova and Madison Keys are also in this loaded quarter. The eventual winner will face off against the winner of Serena Williams quarter in the semis.
In the lower half of the draw, four-time Miami finalist and 2nd-seeded Maria Sharapova (a five-time finalist in Miami) is slated to meet 4th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals if the seeds hold, but the Russian could be in for a tough road, as she’s slated to face rising Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in the third round and rising Czech Karolina Pliskova in the round of 16.
Venus Williams, a three-time past champion, could face Wozniacki in the round of 16. If seeds hold, Agnieszka Radwanska would face Wozniacki in the quarterfinals, while Sharapova would face compatriot Ekaterina Makarova.