Tennis Matches Today: Top 5 players one shouldn't miss ft. Venus Williams, Simona Halep

The 2024 Miami Open will kick off on Tuesday, March 19, with the women's singles first round matches.

The tournament has already suffered a setback with the withdrawal of Emma Raducanu. She was forced to pull out due to a lower back injury as another health issue threatens to derail her comeback.

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka's participation isn't certain either. She's likely to pull out of the tournament as well following her boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov's untimely passing on Monday.

Despite some of the tour's leading stars being amiss, there are quite a few big names scheduled to play on the very first day of the tournament. On that note, here's a look at the day's must watch matches at the Miami Open:

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#1 - Venus Williams vs Diana Shnaider

Williams lost her very first match of the season at the Indian Wells Open to Nao Hibino despite winning the opening set. Shanider finished as the runner-up at a Challenger event last week and won her maiden WTA title a few weeks ago. This is going to be another tough test for the American who is seeking her first win in quite some time.

Date: March 19, 2024.

Time: Approx. 12:30 p.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. GMT, and 10:00 p.m. IST.

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#2 - Caroline Wozniacki vs Clara Burel

Caroline Wozniacki is a former runner-up at the Miami Open.

Wozniacki notched up the best result of her comeback with a quarterfinal finish at the Indian Wells Open. Unfortunately, an injury caused her to retire halfway through her match against Iga Swiatek. Burel has proven to be a dangerous adversary this year, so the Dane has her task cut out for her.

Date: March 19, 2024.

Time: Approx. 2:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. GMT, and 11:30 p.m. IST.

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#3 - Simona Halep vs Paula Badosa

Halep will contest her first match since the 2022 US Open after she was cleared to compete following the conclusion of her doping saga. Badosa might not be at her best given her recurring injury woes, thus giving the Romanian a good shot at victory.

Date: March 19, 2024 (USA, Canada, UK/Europe) and March 20, 2024 (India).

Time: Not before 4:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. GMT, and 1:30 a.m. IST.

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#4 - Yuan Yue vs Anna Blinkova

This will be Yuan Yue's second main draw appearance at the Miami Open.

Yue's nine-match winning streak came to an end in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open against Coco Gauff. With wins over Elena Rybakina, Karolina Pliskova, and Jessica Pegula, Blinkova has played some great tennis this year. With two in-form players set to collide, this duel promises to be an exciting affair.

Date: March 19, 2024.

Time: Starting at 11:00 a.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. GMT, and 8:30 p.m. IST.

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#5 - Peyton Stearns vs Wang Yafan

Stearns had Sabalenka on the ropes at the Indian Wells Open but lost the match after she blew four match points. She'll now be making her main draw debut at the Miami Open and will aim to make a deep run after what happened in her previous tournament.

Date: March 19, 2024.

Time: Starting at 11:00 a.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. GMT, and 8:30 p.m. IST.

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Where to watch the Miami Open?

Viewers can keep up with the proceedings at the Miami Open on the following channels and sites:

Tennis Channel/ TC Plus - USA

TSN - Canada (English Language)

TVA - Canada (French Language)

beIN SPORTS - Australia, France

Sky Sports - United Kingdom and Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Tennis Channel - India

For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.