TennisSection previews the 2021 Miami Open as Naomi Osaka (2) meets Ajla Tomljanovic in the Second Round on Thursday March 25th, 2021.
This is a potentially tricky opening match at the 2021 Miami Open for world number two Naomi Osaka. Ajla Tomljanovic is a very competent player and already has a match under her belt here in Miami Gardens. Can she cause a stunning upset over the reigning Australian Open champion? Or will the Japanese superstar cruise to victory and continue in her pursuit of the world #1 ranking? She has never won the title here but has been in phenomenal form so far in 2021. Will anyone be able to stop her here?
Naomi Osaka is the number two seed here at the 2021 Miami Open, and is the betting favorite for the title here. While she has never won this event, she has been one of the best players in the world for the past few years and has been in incredible form so far this season. She is unbeaten on the year, winning the Australian Open and would be the world number one if not for the ranking freeze which allowed Ashleigh Barty to remain on top. When she is in form, she is clearly the best player in the world at the moment and has an ultra-aggressive game. Once she is confident she is almost assured of a deep run here in Miami and is the clear favorite in this match against Ajla Tomljanovic.
Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia is currently ranked #77 in the world but has been as high as #39 just a few years ago. While she has suffered from lack of form and with injuries over the past few years, she is a still a very dangerous player and has quite a few top 10 wins under her belt. However, she has been in poor form in 2021, not reaching the Second Round in any of the tournaments that she has played so far. She looked in very good form in her win over Anastasia Potapova, winning 7-5, 6-0 in just over an hour. A very aggressive baseline player like Naomi Osaka, she dominated her opponent from the baseline, hitting numerous winners and also keeping her error count down. She enters this match as the huge underdog and will have to play a fantastic match to keep it competitive here at the 2021 Miami Open
The two players have never yet met on the WTA Tour, and their head to head record stands at 0-0. While this is a potentially tricky opening match for the Japanese superstar, we believe that it is a test that she will pass with flying colors. She has seemingly taken her game to a new level in 2021, and has been utterly dominant so far this season. With her much improved serve, and hitting winners seemingly at will, she should have no trouble brushing past the Ajla Tomljanovic and advancing to the Third Round here at the Hard Rock Stadium. Naomi Osaka is on a mission to reclaim that top spot in the rankings and she should be considered the biggest threat to the title here at the 2021 Miami Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Naomi Osaka to win in straight sets.
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