The Hologic WTA Tour moves from the west coast of California to the east coast of Florida for the Miami Open presented by Itaú, the third WTA 1000 event of the season. This year's event features eight of the Top 10 as well as a tournament debut for US Open champion Emma Raducanu and a welcome home for Naomi Osaka.
Here's what you need to know as the Sunshine Double concludes in Miami:
When does the tournament start?
The Miami Open presented by Itaú is a WTA 1000 event held at the Hard Rock Stadium. The tournament features 96-player singles draw and 32-team doubles draw. It is played on outdoor hard courts and will use the Dunlop Grand Prix Regular Duty balls. Coming off the WTA 1000 event at Indian Wells, Miami constitutes the second leg of the "Sunshine Double."
Qualifying begins on Monday, March 21, with main-draw play to begin on Tuesday, March 22. Day sessions begin at 11:00 a.m. on all courts except Stadium 1, which will begin at noon. Night sessions begin at 7:00 p.m.
The full Round of 16 will be played on Monday, March 28, with quarterfinals split across Tuesday and Wednesday. The semifinals will be played on Thursday, March 31.
When are the finals?
The singles final will be played on Saturday, April 2 at 1:00 p.m.
The doubles final will take place on Sunday, April 3 after men's singles final, not before 3:00 p.m.
Getting back into the swing of things at @HardRockStadium 💪 #MiamiOpen | @WTA pic.twitter.com/9twSTZzpLJ
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 18, 2022
Who are the Top 16 seeds?
1. Aryna Sabalenka (No.3)
2. Iga Swiatek (No.4)
3. Anett Kontaveit (No.5)
4. Maria Sakkari (No.6)
5. Paula Badosa (No.7)
6. Karolina Pliskova (No.8)
7. Garbiñe Muguruza (No.9)
8. Ons Jabeur (No.10)
9. Danielle Collins (No.11)
10. Jelena Ostapenko (No.12)
11. Emma Raducanu (No.13)
12. Victoria Azarenka (No.15)
13. Angelique Kerber (No.16)
14. Coco Gauff (No.17)
15. Elina Svitolina (No.18)
16. Jessica Pegula (No.19)
The only Top 20 players absent from the draw are No.1 Ashleigh Barty, No.2 Barbora Krejcikova and No.14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Wildcards have been awarded to Sofia Kenin, Astra Sharma, Hailey Baptiste, Linda Fruhvirtova, Alexandra Eala, Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery.
Who are the defending champions?
World No.1 Ashleigh Barty will not be in Miami to defend her Miami title. Barty is the two-time defending champion (2019 and 2021). Last year, the Australian defeated Bianca Andreescu in the final, 6-3, 4-0 (ret.).
In doubles, the Japanese duo of Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara took home the title, defeating Hayley Carter and Luisa Stefani 6-2, 7-5. This year, Shibahara will play Miami with Asia Muhammad, while Aoyama is paired with Chan Hao-Ching.
What does the draw look like?
Main draw in Miami, where Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are the top seeds.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 20, 2022
Naomi Osaka opens against Astra Sharma. Winner face Angelique Kerber.
Shelby Rogers and Anisimova face off in 1R. #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/hmWJxRNEBu
For a full breakdown of the draw, click here.
What is the prize money and ranking points on offer?
The total player compensation offered in Miami this year is $8,584,055.
First Round: $18,2000 / 10 point
Second Round: #30,130 / 35 points
Third Round: $54,400 / 65 points
Round of 16: $94,575 / 120 points
Quarterfinals: $179,940 / 215 points
Semifinals: $343,985 / 350 points
Final: $646,110 / 650 points
Champion: $1,231,245 / 1000 points
Throwin’ it 🔙 to @naomiosaka’s best shots at Stadium Court 💪
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 19, 2022
Next week, we’ll be back playing inside @HardRockStadium for the first time since 2019! 🤩
Key Storylines
Sakkari, Swiatek, Badosa, Halep riding momentum: The four Indian Wells semifinalists played at a fantastic level to put their stamps on Indian Wells. Of the four, only Halep and Sakkari have made a semifinal in Miami. Halep in 2015 and 2019, while Sakkari made her first last year, losing in an entertaining three-set duel with Andreescu.
Swiatek eyes the Sunshine Double: Can the 20-year-old continue her incredible run through the WTA 1000s? Swiatek has swept the first two of the season in Doha and Indian Wells and comes into Miami on an 11-match win streak. She is looking to become the first player since Victoria Azarenka in 2016 to complete the Sunshine Double.
Kontaveit, Muguruza, Jabeur aim to rebound: After coming one win away from going undefeated in February, No.5 Kontaveit bowed out in the third round of Indian Wells in a tough and tight 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) loss to Marketa Vondrousova. Jabeur came into Indian Wells looking strong after back-to-back quarterfinals in the Middle East, but lost in her opening round to Daria Saville. Muguruza won the first nine games against Alison Riske in her opener before winning just one more game in the match. All three could benefit from a reset in Miami.
Collins returns to action: The Australian Open finalist has not played a completed match since Melbourne. She was forced to retire in her only match since, a 6-2, 0-3 match against Marketa Vondrousova in the first round of Dubai due to dizziness. Collins subsequently withdrew from Doha and Indian Wells, but remains on the entry list for Miami. The American had a breakout in Miami in 2018, when she put together a run to the semifinals as a qualifier.
Raducanu makes her Miami debut: The US Open champion narrowly lost out to Petra Martic in the third round of Indian Wells, but there were many positive takeaways from her tournament debut. She will have had a little more than a week to heal up from the minor back issue that bothered her against Martic. Raducanu could face Halep in the third round.
Gauff and Osaka come home: The first time Gauff played her home tournament, she was ranked No.456. The second time? No.36. Twelve months on and Gauff will be the 16th seed in Miami, where she is still looking to get past the second round. Former No.1 Osaka returns to her home tournament for the first time since 2019. If she wins her first-round match against Astra Sharma, she will face 13th seed Angelique Kerber.
