The Miami Open tennis tournament from Key Biscayne works its way to the semifinals. Both matches are very attractive, but the first one has just gotten underway while the second one is the really big one that everyone wants to see on Thursday night. That’s why we’ll focus our tennis picks on that matchup as the early one was not one appealing to handicap.
Miami Open Quarterfinals Recap
But before we move on to today’s tennis picks, let’s have a look back and recap what happened yesterday. We had a productive day with our tennis picks yesterday as we went 2-0 in the quarterfinals. With our first selection, we had laid some juice with Victoria Azarenka over Johanna Konta. As you might recall, Konta was that starlet in the 2016 Australian Open that made it all the way to the semifinals as an unseeded player. Many people deemed her to be a fluke but her showing at the Miami Open is just the latest illustration that she isn’t a one-hit wonder. Konta did her best against Azarenka but she didn’t really hang around. Azarenka has been on fire of late – including a tournament win at the BNP Paribas just last week – and it looks like she’s on course to add some more hardware this week. She beat Konta 6-4, 6-2. It looked as Konta faded after the first set.
In the second quarterfinal, we saw Madison Keys go up against Angelique Kerber. Remember that Kerber won the first grand slam of the year at the 2016 Australian Open, but she has been since then. She’s had some early exits at tournaments that have had some people wondering if she has the necessary level of consistency to be deemed legit. But her showing at the Miami Open has done her reputation well as she’s made another deep run in the tournament. On Wednesday, she had to square off with a challenging opponent in Madison Keys, who is deemed a player on the rise herself. However, Kerber dominated the matchup from start to finish while winning in straight sets. Keys ended up winning only a total of five games in the entire match as Kerber won the first set 6-3 followed by a rather easy 6-2 result in the second set. That sets up for the matchup that everyone wants to see on Thursday: Kerber versus Azarenka. Many people feel that the other semi is the easier of the two – the Svetlana Kuznetsova versus Timea Bacsinszky matchup – and that the winner of Kerber-Azarenka should end up taking the Miami Open.
Angelique Kerber vs. Victoria Azarenka
Betting Odds: Azarenka -345
This is a huge match, a battle that will draw a lot of interest and excitement. This was a match in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Kerber was strong in the first set, but then Azarenka took a break lead in the second set and was just about to even the match at a set apiece. However, Azarenka’s serve let her down, and Kerber was able to mount a rally which enabled her to surprisingly win the match in straight sets. Azarenka was hoping to meet Serena in the Australian Open final, but Kerber took away that honor from her. Kerber beat Johanna Konta in the semifinals and then, when given her chance, upset Serena in the final to win her first Grand Slam title. Now, Azarenka and Kerber meet in a rematch. You know Kerber is more than capable of winning, but it’s also clear that Azarenka is out for revenge and is a more confident player after winning Indian Wells. Of the two, she’s the player that’s playing at a higher level right now. This feels like a three-set match, but Azarenka is the more motivated player, so she gets the edge. Take Azarenka with your tennis picks in this spot. She’s been too hot to stop and Kerber won’t slow her down.
Pick: Azarenka in three sets
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