Miami Open 2021: Bianca Andreescu vs Maria Sakkari preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (8) Bianca Andreescu vs Maria Sakkari

Date: 1 April 2021

Tournament: Miami Open 2021

Round: Semifinals

Venue: Miami, Florida

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $3,340,000

Match timing: Not before 8.30 pm local time, 6 am IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Europsort

Bianca Andreescu vs Maria Sakkari preview

Maria Sakkari put up an incredible display in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Miami Open on Wednesday. Sakkari managed to end Naomi Osaka's winning streak, ousting the second seed in a straightforward two-set win.

The Greek executed her gameplan to near perfection which helped her book her spot in the semifinals, her third at the WTA 1000 level. She is now set to face Bianca Andreescu for a place in the final.

Bianca Andreescu

Bianca Andreescu, meanwhile, came through a third consecutive three-set win late on Wednesday night. The Canadian suffered a second-set stumble before closing out a tight win over the tenacious Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Andreescu, the 2019 BNP Paribas Open champion, has shown an incredible amount of resolve in her young career so far. Add to that her baseline prowess and unparalleled variety, and she becomes a very tough opponent to beat.

Andreescu will be looking for an easy outing in the semifinals, having already spent a significant amount of time on the court. However, her opponent is likely to make things hard for her on Thursday.

Bianca Andreescu vs Maria Sakkari head-to-head

Maria Sakkari will look to mix up her shots, something that she executed perfectly against Naomi Osaka

The semifinal match is set to be the first career meeting between Maria Sakkari and Bianca Andreescu, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Bianca Andreescu vs Maria Sakkari prediction

This is a fairly well-balanced matchup given that both Bianca Andreescu and Maria Sakkari possess similarly well-rounded games and seem to have found some of their best form in Miami.

Neither of the women came into the tournament with the best of starts to the season, so the semifinal here presents a huge opportunity to finally get some momentum going for the rest of the year. Andreescu, in particular, will be looking to set herself up well with a title here.

The pressure will be on the Canadian, but that's also the kind of situation where she has thrived in the past. Sakkari will enter the match with a set plan and is likely to give her opponent different looks at the ball, something that she did in her match against Osaka as well.

It's likely to come down to Andreescu's ability to adapt to the situation. And if her recent results are any indication, the Canadian might just have enough in the tank to come through another close match.

Prediction: Bianca Andreescu to win in three sets.