TennisSection previews the 2021 Miami Open as Bianca Andreescu (8) meets Maria Sakkari (23) in the Semi-Finals on Thursday April 1st, 2021.
This is sure to be a very exciting match between two outstanding players. Both Bianca Andreescu and Maria Sakkari have shown tremendous fight to get to this stage, playing multiple three set matches on the way. They also play similar games, both being very aggressive baseliners and this is not one that tennis fans will want to miss. Will it be the 23rd seeded Greek causing the slight upset? Or will the Canadian former Grand Slam champion Andreescu advance to her first final since returning to the tour? Who will reach the Final here at the 2021 Miami Open?
Bianca Andreescu missed the entire 2020 season due to some horrific knee injuries and is slowly rounding back into form. She has been rusty since her return as expected, but has shown flashes of her former dominant self. The former US Open champion is seemingly back to her best with some stunning performances thus far here at the 2021 Miami Open, and in current form has to be considered a contender for the title. She stunned Garbine Muguruza in a three set thriller in the Round of 16, and her confidence will be sky-high. There were questions being answered about her fitness, but she laid those to rest with yet another three set win over Sara Sorribes Tormo in the Quarter-Finals. In this sort of form, she has to be considered a serious contender for the title and enters this match against Maria Sakkari as the slight favorite.
Maria Sakkari is currently ranked #25 in the WTA world rankings and not many would have expected her to reach this stage of the competition. A very fierce competitor, she fought back from the brink against Jessica Pegula, saving six match points before winning in the third set tiebreaker. She then destroyed title favorite Naomi Osaka in the Quarter-Finals, with some good serving and very aggressive baseline tennis. Her main weapons have always been her fitness, movement and fighting spirit, and those have been on full display here at the 2021 Miami Open. While Bianca Andreescu enters this match as the slight favorite, Sakkari is in tremendous form and her confidence is sky-high. She certainly will be ready for the challenge and won’t back down from it as she seeks to reach her first WTA Masters Final.
Regardless of the outcome, this will be a very entertaining match between two very aggressive players. Both Bianca Andreescu and Maria have been in fantastic form here so far at the 2021 Miami Open, and this is shaping up to be a very close match. This will be the first time that they are meeting on the WTA Tour, so their head to head stands at 0-0. While they have both spent a lot of time on court here, Sakkari will definitely have the edge when it comes to fitness and movement. However, Andreescu has the stronger overall game, so it really should be an even match. With everything considered, I am giving the edge to Bianca Andreescu. It has been surprising how quickly she has gotten back to her best after such a good layoff, and I expect that to continue. Three sets is a very likely outcome, with Bianca Andreescu just edging it out.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Bianca Andreescu to win
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