Miami Open 2023: Andreescu vs Raducanu Prediction and Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Miami Open first-round match featuring Bianca Andreescu vs Emma Raducanu on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

Bianca Andreescu vs Emma Raducanu Match Preview

Two former US Open champions are set to clash in a marquee first-round match at the 2023 Miami Open. Who will claim the win when Canada’s Bianca Andreescu takes on a resurgent Emma Raducanu?

One thing in common between Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu is that both lost to Iga Swiatek coming to the 2023 Miami Open. They both exposed a few chinks in Swiatek’s armory but ended up losing in straight sets. Andreescu, in particular, will be looking to build on that respectable 6-3, 7-6 loss in Indian Wells. She reached the final on her last visit to Florida in 2021 and ended up retiring in the final due to injury, trailing the now-retired Ash Barty 3-6, 0-4.

Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, shook off her recent tonsilitis problem and played a fine tournament in Indian Wells. Raducanu won three straight matches on the WTA Tour for the first time since reaching the last four in Seoul last September. It also marked the first time Raducanu had reached the round of 16 of a big tournament since capturing the 2021 US Open. How will she fare against Bianca Andreescu in the first round of the Miami Open?

Bianca Andreescu vs Emma Raducanu Prediction and Pick

Bianca Andreescu leads Emma Raducanu 1-0 in their head-to-head. That meeting took place on the clay of Rome last year where Andreescu led 6-2 2-1 before the Briton retired due to a back injury. Injuries have not been kind for both of these two players whose fitness record has been ridiculously poor. But when fit, they ooze top-10 potential. Raducanu played very well in Indian Wells, but Andreescu has a tiny edge for this one. The Canadian has fared slightly better on tour this season and possesses the shotmaking to take the game out of the Briton’s racket and book a second-round meeting against Maria Sakkari at the Miami Open.