WTA Miami First Round Picks 3/17

This is a fun match because both players love to be in some long rallies, so get your popcorn ready and prepare for some fun tennis. Cirstea was arguably in the best match of Indian Wells last week in a tough loss in round two to number ten seed Emma Navarro. I think this is the perfect match for Romania to get back in the winning ways and get another crack at taking out a seeded player.

Petra Kvitova(+240) vs. Sofia Kenin(-300)–> Winner: Kenin

This is the biggest trap for bettors on day one of the Miami Open. Looks like Vegas wants you to be so surprised how much Kenin is favored to beat a veteran like Kvitova and to think taking the upset is easy money. But that is not the case here. Kenin is favored like this for a reason. Kvitova is just back from paternity leave and she is 0-2 to start this year as a mother. For some players, that comes back without missing a beat after giving birth but for others, it just takes time. The latter feels like the case with Kvitova who should get hit off the court by the young Kenin in this tasty first-round matchup.

Olga Danilovic(-115) vs. Hailey Baptiste(-104)–> Winner: Baptiste

This is the tightest match to bet on on Tuesday and this makes sense. These two players are some of the more solid players on tour and both have some great upside. The Serbian had a nice run in Australia but hasn’t maintained those results since the year first major. While Baptiste has gotten some nice wins of late, she just can’t stack them consecutively on a consistent basis. This pick squarely comes down to current play and the American has the edge which means she should come out the victor.

Conclusion on WTA Miami

With this being a wide-open event, that just makes it more intriguing to watch. Heading into 2025, it felt like Sabalenka and Swaitek had separated themselves from the field but that just hasn’t been true three months into the 2025 season. Madison Keyes, Mirra Andreeva, and others have staked their spots atop the women’s game. The thing to watch over the next few weeks is if the top two players in the world finally put their feet down and reclaim being the pinnacle of tennis. But at the same time, will lower-ranked players play with even less fear and allow them to make a moment of their own?