Sorana Cirstea vs Sloane Stephens Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Indian Wells

Prediction published on 09/03/2024, 03:30  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 09/03/2024 at 03:50 in Tennis Predictions

Sorana Cirstea, 19th seed, will begin her Indian Wells campaign with a second-round showdown against unseeded Sloane Stephens. The winner will then battle either Oceane Dodin or Daria Kasatkina for a place in the fourth round. Sorana Cirstea is coming off a semifinal finish in Dubai. Her best result of the season thus far and she will hope the momentum propels her to another deep run here. The Romanian is defending the over 200 points she earned here in her run to the quarters last season. This was her best-ever result in this event. Cirstea has compiled a 7-6 record and one of her wins came against Stephens in Doha. This took her up 2-1 against the American in previous encounters with both of her wins coming on hard courts. Cirstea, who hasn’t lost in the second round here in her last three appearances, is ranked 23rd in the live ranking.

Sloane Stephens has moved up three places in the live ranking to 41st place after her first-round win. The former world number three defeated Mayar Sherif in straight sets and relinquished eight games in the battle. The win allowed her to tie her record at 6-6 with all 12 matches being played on hard courts. It was also her first main draw win here in three seasons. Stephens had lost in the first round at this event in each of the last two years. She will now seek to go past the second round for the first time since 2018. The former US Open champion is a former Indian Wells quarterfinalist, achieving the feat in 2014. Stephens’ sole victory over Cirstea came on clay two seasons ago at the French Open. The 30-year-old’s best result this season was her run to the third round in Melbourne.