Roundtable: Forecasting the Miami Open quarterfinals

We’re down to the final eight at the Miami Open.
Top Half
[1] Ashleigh Barty vs. [7] Aryna Sabalenka
Anastasija Sevastova vs. [5] Elina Svitolina
Bottom Half
[8] Bianca Andreescu
[23] Maria Sakkari
Australia’s Ashleigh Barty leads the way. On Monday, the top-ranked player took down Victoria Azarenka
Is she the one to beat? Who’s most primed for an upset?
We asked, now we’ll give you our best guess. WTA Web Editors Jason Juzwiak and Alex Macpherson and Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen preview the Miami Open quarterfinals.
Underdog most likely to pull through?
Alex Macpherson: Anastasija Sevastova. The Latvian may have slumped out of the Top 50 from a career high of World No.11 at the end of 2018, winning just two matches last year, but the quality of her best tennis shouldn't be forgotten. Sevastova's finesse has carved up Naomi Osaka
Jason Juzwiak: Aryna Sabalenka
Courtney Nguyen: Sara Sorribes Tormo
Matchup with most at stake?
Macpherson: Barty vs. Sabalenka. For Barty, an opportunity to defend both her Miami title and World No.1 ranking. For Sabalenka, a chance to reassert the dominant form which took her on a 15-match winning streak across the end of 2020 and start of 2021. For both, an element of mastering a new challenge. This is Barty's first international venture in more than a year, and delivering a strong performance off home soil will be an important step in rejoining the tour this year. Meanwhile, Sabalenka has excelled indoors in Europe and outdoors in China and the Middle East in recent years but has been more muted on U.S. hardcourts where, coming into this week, she had lost six of her past 12 matches.
Juzwiak: Barty vs. Sabalenka. Both have been heavy title contenders at top-tier events throughout the season and would like to cap off the spring hardcourt swing by staking a claim as one of the handful of the best on this surface. Additionally, Barty is fighting to hold onto her World No.1 ranking, which is under siege from surging Naomi Osaka
Nguyen: Barty vs. Sabalenka. A win for Barty and she forces World No.2 Naomi Osaka
Matchup too close to call?
Macpherson: Andreescu vs. Sorribes Tormo. The only sure thing about this first-time matchup is that it will go to a deciding set. Andreescu and Sorribes Tormo are two of the tour's leading three-set specialists. Since the start of Andreescu's 2019 Indian Wells title run, 21 of the Canadian's 36 completed matches have gone all the way. She has won 18 of those and has a 5-1 record in third sets in 2021. Meanwhile, Sorribes Tormo has played deciding sets in 10 of her 19 matches this season, including four of 2021's Top 20 longest matches, and has an 8-2 record in them. That's more three-set wins than anyone else on tour this year.
Juzwiak: Barty vs. Sabalenka. The close head-to-head does not provide much of a bellwether in this contrast of styles. Both players came out of the blocks slowly this fortnight, needing to save match point in their opening matches, but have generally found their form over the past two rounds. Sabalenka’s hot streaks can be difficult to stamp out, as evidenced by her 15-match winning streak, which extended into this season, but Barty knows best how to win on these courts. Her 2019 title makes her the only player to date to hoist the trophy at Hard Rock Stadium.
Nguyen: Barty vs. Sabalenka. There’s no clear favorite in this battle of Power vs. Finesse. Sabalenka has the narrow edge in the head-to-head at 3-2, but I think court speed could play a role here. Sabalenka’s three wins came on quicker courts, twice in Wuhan - a tournament dominated by hitters like Sabalenka, Kvitova and Venus Williams - and once in Zhuhai. Barty’s wins have come on more neutral hard courts, like at Melbourne Park. The slower courts in Miami could give Barty the time to weave her web. Then again, when Sabalenka is at her best, court speed doesn’t matter.
Player who would benefit most from a deep run?
Macpherson: Andreescu. The summer of 2019 already showed us that Andreescu doesn't necessarily need match-play to hit top form - having played just one match between March and August that year, she returned to immediately sweep the Toronto and US Open titles. But coming back after a whole year on the sidelines is a greater challenge. The Canadian's return to action in Australia was tentatively promising - a handful of battling wins, and neither of her losses to Hsieh Su-Wei in the Australian Open second round and Marie Bouzkova
Juzwiak: Svitolina. The Ukrainian has yet to pass the quarterfinals at an event this season and came into Miami having just lost her opening match in Dubai, a tournament where she has had tremendous success in the past. Breaking that quarterfinal barrier would do wonders for her confidence as she seeks to tighten her grip on her Top 5 ranking. There are already signs that Svitolina is edging closer to her peak level. Her comeback fourth-round win over Petra Kvitova, who she was previously 2-7 against, was Svitolina's first win over Top 10 opposition since the 2019 WTA Finals.
Nguyen: Sakkari. The Greek’s stock was soaring after her first tournament in the season in Abu Dhabi, where she advanced to the semifinals by defeating Anastasia Potapova