Miami Open 2023: Kasatkina vs Mertens Prediction, Odds & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Miami Open first-round match featuring Daria Kasatkina vs Elise Mertens on Thursday, March 23, 2023.

Daria Kasatkina vs Elise Mertens Match Preview

Daria Kasatkina cannot afford to throw in another lackluster performance at the Miami Open. She plays former top-20 player Elise Mertens in a tough second-round match. Who will prevail?

Daria Kasatkina looks like a shadow of the player that took the tennis world by storm in 2022. The Russian is an underwhelming 5-7 for the season. In fact, since reaching the Adelaide final, Kasatkina has failed to win back-to-back matches at any WTA event, losing at her most recent tournament in Indian Wells to Varvara Gracheva in the third round.

Elise Mertens, meanwhile, advanced into the second round of the Miami Open with a straight-sets win over American rising star Alycia Parks. Mertens, a former World No. 12, has been to the second week in Miami before, back in 2021. Although she is way down the pecking order now, she will fancy her chances of coming up against an out-of-form Daria Kasatkina on Thursday.

Daria Kasatkina vs Elise Mertens Prediction and Pick

Daria Kasatkina leads Elise Mertens 4-1 in their head-to-head. The Russian has won each of their last two meetings contested on hard courts. But the formbook suggests Kasatkina will struggle at the Miami Open. Mertens is a great counterpuncher and has a nice combination of offensive shots to inflict another defeat on Kasatkina. This match should be on Kasatkina’s racket, but given her lackadaisical form, it is tough to trust the Russian.