Miami Open 2024 Day 5: Women's singles predictions ft. Madison Keys vs Wang Xinyu

Day 5 of the Miami Open is set to be quite hectic due to a massive backlog of matches. Only a handful of matches could be completed on Friday as play was constantly interrupted by heavy rains.

Aryna Sabalenka took to the court for the first time since the passing of her former partner Konstantin Koltsov earlier this week. She defeated her good friend Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-3 to advance further.

Coco Gauff was among the few winners of the day as she cruised past Nadia Podoroska with a 6-1, 6-2 win. Now, a jam-packed Saturday has a total of 45 singles matches scheduled for the day, with 19 of them being women's singles ties.

Here's a look at the predictions for a few third-round matches lined up on Day 5 of the Miami Open:

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#1 - Madison Keys vs Wang Xinyu

Keys scored a 6-2, 6-4 win over Diana Shnaider in the second round of the Miami Open. Competing in just her second tournament of the season, the American played a solid match. She went 4/4 on break points and lost her serve just once, on top of blasting eight aces winning 73% of first-serve points.

Wang knocked out Hailey Baptiste in her opener here and then eliminated 16th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the second round with a 6-3, 6-2 scoreline. She has faced off against Keys just once before, which was at last year's Australian Open, and lost that match quite easily.

Wang has won back-to-back matches just once this year. However, with Keys still trying to find her footing on the tour after an injury layoff, this could be a chance to do so yet again. However, if the American is dialed in right from the start, there's not much that her opponent would be able to do to stop her.

Predicted winner: Madison Keys

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#2 - Jelena Ostapenko vs Anna Kalinskaya

Jelena Ostapenko is the ninth seed at the 2024 Miami Open.

Ostapenko defeated Laura Siegemund 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the second round here. It was a decent performance from the 2018 Miami Open runner-up, but her serve put her in a spot of bother from time to time.

Kalinskaya made light work of Wang Xiyu in the second round as she bested her 6-2, 6-2. She didn't drop her serve even once during the match. The Russian has a perfect 2-0 record against Ostapenko and has already defeated her once this year.

The two crossed paths just last month in Dubai, where Kalinskaya ousted the Latvian en route to the final. Ostapenko's results have simmered down after a hot start to the season. If she's able to recapture her mojo, she could come out on top this time, or else the Russian is likely to have the last laugh yet again.

Predicted winner: Anna Kalinskaya

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#3 - Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Katie Boulter

Haddad Maia overturned a one-set deficit to beat Diane Parry 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to begin her Miami Open campaign. Boulter won the first set against Brenda Fruhvirtova in a tie-break, after which her opponent retired at the start of the second set.

The two faced off a few weeks ago at the San Diego Open. Boulter knocked out Haddad Maia and went on to win the title, the biggest of her career so far. The Brazilian's recent results haven't been that good as she has won just two of her last seven matches.

Haddad Maia has a knack for making most of her matches a test of physical endurance. Boulter was able to outlast her during their prior encounter and given the Brit's form this year, she has it in her to do the same yet again.

Predicted winner: Katie Boulter

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#4 - Maria Sakkari vs Dayana Yastremska

Maria Sakkari is the eighth seed at the 2024 Miami Open.

Sakkari scored a 6-2, 6-2 win over Yuan Yue in the second round of the Miami Open, while Yastremska defeated Daria Saville 7-5, 7-5. After a tepid start to the year, the Greek played some of her best tennis to reach the final of the Indian Wells Open, where she lost to Iga Swiatek.

Yastremska, meanwhile, has struggled to replicate her form from the Australian Open, where she reached the semifinals. She hasn't strung together two wins in a row since then.

Sakkari seems to be in a better place at the moment and her new partnership with coach David Witt is off to a good start as well. If the Greek continues to play like this, she'll easily pick apart the out-of-form Yastremska.

Predicted winner: Maria Sakkari