Miami Open 2025: Women's singles draw analysis, preview & prediction ft. potential Coco Gauff-Aryna Sabalenka SF, Emma Raducanu-Emma Navarro 2R

The women's singles draw for the 2025 Miami Open was finally unveiled on 16 March, Sunday. It will be the final WTA 1000 event on the hard court before tennis heads to the European clay swing.

The draw will be headlined by the two women currently dominating at the top of the tennis world, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek. While the former will look to get her hands on the trophy for the first time, the latter will look to reclaim what was hers, back in 2022.

The American trio of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys, will be seeded third, fourth, and fifth respectively, and will also try and jump on the opportunity to become hometown heroes. Defending champion Danielle Collins, who had a resurgence of form last year, has been struggling this year and may have problems replicating her previous year's heroics.

However, before the seeded players, who will receive a bye in the opening round, jump into action, the opening rounds will feature some mouthwatering clashes such as Petra Kvitova vs Sofia Kenin, Katie Boulter vs Peyton Stearns, and others.

So without further ado, let's explore how the possible ways in which the Miami Open could unfold over the next couple of weeks.

Top Half: Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina & defending champion Danielle Collins create possibilities for exciting clashes

Danielle Collins: Getty

Seeded Players: (1) Aryna Sabalenka, (3) Coco Gauff, (6) Jasmine Paolini, (7) Elena Rybakina, (9) Zheng Qinwen, (12) Daria Kasatkina, (14) Danielle Collins, (16) Beatriz Haddad Maia, (18) Ekaterina Alexandrova, (19) Yulia Putintseva, (21) Donna Vekic, (24) Liudmila Samsonova, (26) Leylah Fernandez, (28) Maria Sakkari, (29) Magdalena Frech, (31) Ons Jabeur.

Dark Horse: Katerina Siniakova

Analysis: Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will kick off her campaign against the winner of Viktoriya Toova vs Catu Mcnally. The Belarusian started the 2025 season by coming out guns blazing winning the Brisbane International and finishing runner-up at the Australian Open. Though she had a disappointing outing in the Middle East, the World No. 1 found her rhythm back during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

As the big names begin to topple after the first couple of rounds, she could face Magdalena Frech in the third round, following which she may face either Donna Vekic or the defending champion Danielle Collins. In the quarterfinal, she may face Zheng Qinwen, a player she has comfortably dealt with till now, or her arch-rival Elena Rybakina, a match that could go either way if the Kazakh is at her best.

The other side of the top half possesses relatively less firepower, with Coco Gauff looking like the clear favorite to dominate her quarter. She should comfortably make it to the semifinal if she plays her usual high-quality tennis. However, there are others such as Ons Jabeur, Daria Kasarrkina, and Naomi Osaka, who are more than capable of taking the fight to the American No. 1 at the Miami Open.

Predicting this half of the draw is an extreme challenge given how it features six Grand Slam champions, however, the two-time runner-up Elena Rybakina, who hasn't been in great form, considering the bar she has set for herself, has the arsenal to take every opponent of hers down. Coupled with the fact that Sabalenka had an exhausting run in Indian Wells, the Kazakh should take care of business.

Guaff, meanwhile, who will kick off her run against either Sofia Kenin or Petra Kvitova, should make her way to the final four easily. However, an in-form Rybakina may be too much for Gauff at the Miami Open, an event she may have an insatiable desire to win after losing back-to-back finals.

Semifinal prediction: Elena Rybakina def. Coco Gauff

Bottom Half: Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, Mirra Andreeva & Emma Raducanu keep things exciting

Mirra Andreeva could be a danger at the Miami Open- Source: Getty

Seeded Players: (2) Iga Swiatek, (4) Jessica Pegula, (5) Madison Keys, (8) Emma Navarro, (10) Paula Badosa, (11) Mirra Andreeva, (13) Diana Shnaider, (15) Karolina Muchova, (17) Amanda Anisimova, (20) Clara Tauson, (22) Elina Svitolina (23) Marta Kostyuk, (25) Jelena Ostapenko, (27) Elise Mertens, (30) Linda Noskova, (32) Anna Kalinskaya

Dark Horse: McCartney Kessler

Analysis: The bottom half will be headlined by World No. 2 Iga Siwatek, who though has been making deep runs in every tournament she has participated in, has yet to win a title in 2025. She may possibly face Caroline Garcia to kick off her tournament and could also face Karolina Muchova in the fourth round, creating some rematches from Indian Wells, both of which were won by the Pole.

Interestingly, in the Pole's quarter is Jelena Ostapenko, a player whose code Swiatek is yet to crack. The Latvian has not only won all five of their matches but has also dominated a player, who decimates most of her opponents. However, to reach the quarterfinal, Ostapenko will possibly have to gain a win over Madison Keys, which seems to be too tall of an order for the Latvian in her current form.

In the top quarter, there could be an exciting battle of 'Emmas' as Emma Navarro could meet Emma Raducanu in the second round. However, the stars of the quarter are Jessica Pegula and the 17-year-old prodigy Mirra Andreeva. The Russian could have a hard time in Miami given how she played back-to-back finals in Dubai and Indian Wells, leaving her with considerable fatigue.

Pegula would look to take this chance with both her hands but could face resistance from the likes of Navarro, Amanda Anisimova, Linda Noskova, and others. The American No. 2 has shown what she is capable of on some occasions but needs to bring her A-game consistently. The Miami Open seems like her time to shine.

It is likely that Keys will oust Swiatek in the quarterfinal, considering the Pole's recent struggles, setting up an all-American clash in the semifinal, which promises to be a delight for the neutrals. However, there can only be one winner and it does seem that it might be Pegula, who will win the clash of the heavyweights at the Miami Open.

Semifinal prediction: Jessica Pegula def. Madison Keys

Miami Open 2025: Final Prediction

Elena Rybakina def. Jessica Pegula