Miami Open 2023: Rogers vs Stephens Prediction, Odds & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Miami Open first-round match featuring Shelby Rogers vs Sloane Stephens on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

Shelby Rogers vs Sloane Stephens Match Preview

It will be an all-American clash that promises a lot of excitement and entertainment as Shelby Rogers and Sloane Stephens clash for the first time on the WTA Tour. Who will kick off their Miami Open campaign with a bang?

Shelby Rogers has won 10 matches this season which is more than twice that of Sloane Stephens. Rogers put together her best run on the hard courts of Abu Dhabi last month, coming through qualifying before going on to reach the last eight, garnering wins over the likes of Leylah Fernandez and Anett Kontaveit in the main draw. Rogers and Stephens have landed in Aryna Sabalenka’s path of the draw, with the winner of this first-round match taking on the Belarusian in the second round.

Sloane Stephens, meanwhile, is one of three champions in the draw of the 2023 Miami Open. Stephens won this tournament back in 2018, a few months after capturing her first and only Grand Slam at the US Open. But while the American has gone on to crack more milestones a couple of years after that, she has been very subpar in recent seasons. She hasn’t had a top-30 year-end ranking since 2019. She has compiled a 4-6 record in 2023, making back-to-back quarterfinals in Merida and Austin.

Shelby Rogers vs Sloane Stephens Prediction and Pick

Remarkably Shelby Rogers and Sloane Stephens have not played each other on the WTA Tour. Roger sits seven spots above Stephens in the rankings coming to this year’s Miami Open. Stephens hasn’t won more than 19 matches in each of the last three seasons. Rogers, by contrast, has had better seasons in 2020 and 2021 and saved her best tennis for the home tournaments. We are backing the world No. 41 to defeat the former champion.