Elena Rybakina nearly won the Miami Open last year and started well this year, so what will happen when she faces Madison Keys?
Rybakina loves to play on these types of courts because she can utilize her devastating power really well. The court in Miami plays rather quickly, and it benefits great servers really well, which is exactly why the Kazakhstani player did so well last year.
The eventual winner was Petra Kvitova, another player with tremendous power and good serving, proving which players benefit from the court speed in Miami. Keys is also a good player and can do well, but she's also quite streaky.
She's much more streaky than Rybakina is, and that could prove her undoing. On her best day, the American is certainly capable of beating Rybakina, especially when the Kazakhstani player hasn't played the best herself.
She has won both of her matches in Miami so far, but both went the distance, so that's not the typical dominant style we've seen from Rybakina in recent years.
Rybakina and Keys have played a few times before, with the American winning two of the three matches they played. All of the matches were played in 2022, which is a while ago.
One of those was played in Cincinnati, which can play similarly to Miami. Both are quick courts and Keys absolutely crushed Rybakina in the meeting there. That's one of her good days and she can have it again.
| Elena Rybakina | Madison Keys | |
| 1 | H2H | 2 |
| 4 | Rank | 18 |
| 24 | Age | 29 |
| 19-3 | 2024 W/L | 3-1 |
| 308-135 | Career W/L | 363-208 |
I don't think she will, which is why I'll back Rybakina to win this one. She's been really good this year, and while Miami hasn't looked as good as usual, she's still fighting and winning matches. I think that's going to be enough.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina to win in three sets.