WTA Miami Open: our view of the 2025 women's tournament
by Cydias Aujard | by Cydias Aujard
WTA Miami Open: the last few editions have been surprising!
Held in the wake of the Indian Wells tournament, which is the players' favourite event of the season, the WTA Masters 1000 in Miami has often produced surprises, with the sequence of events rarely benefiting the best women tennis players.
A statistic to prove it: the Indian Wells-Miami double has only been achieved three times in 20 years: Iga Swiatek in 2022, Victoria Azarenka in 2016 and Kim Clijsters in 2005. Mirra Andreeva, who won on Sunday evening in California, knows the immensity of the challenge that awaits her from this Tuesday and will be trying to enter this very closed circle. And our Miami Open previews awaits you!
The tournament's No. 1 seed in the women's draw has also been a rare winner in recent years, with only three women since 2015 having achieved their status: Iga Swiatek in 2022, Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and Serena Williams in 2015. Still searching for her first title in Florida, Aryna Sabalenka, who is coming off a final loss in Indian Wells, will need to find the physical and mental resources to win her first trophy in Miami!
WTA Masters 1000 Miami: our favourites for the women's singles tournament
The women's draw for the 2025 edition of the WTA Masters 1000 in Miami will be well-stocked, with all the big names present in Florida. But between the players who saw their careers come to a premature end in Indian Wells and those who will have given up a lot of energy in California, the surprises should be there as always. Let's take a look at the forces at work at this tournament in Florida and make your tennis previews.
Who can stop Mirra Andreeva?
The new world No. 6, Mirra Andreeva has made a stunning entrance into the WTA top 10. A true tennis prodigy, the young Russian needed time to establish herself at the highest level and wait for something to click that would take her into another dimension, which has now happened at the start of 2025! Mirra Andreeva had already made a name for herself on the Australian tour, with a semi-final in Brisbane and a round of 16 in Melbourne, but she finally tasted success in February by winning the Dubai Masters 1000. It was the catalyst for the Krasnoyarsk native, who had dominated the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and built on that momentum by winning the title in Indian Wells on Sunday evening.
After defeating Iga Swiatek and then Aryna Sabalenka in California, the two best players on the planet, Mirra Andreeva made her mark by winning two Masters 1000 titles in a row and racking up 12 victories, dropping just 3 sets in the process. Even if the Indian Wells-Miami double is complicated, as we said, it's hard not to mention the 17-year-old tenniswoman as one of the big favourites in the women's draw in Miami.
Aryna Sabalenka, a world No. 1 with a couple of doubts
You can be world number 1, have won 8 titles in the last 2 years, and still have a few doubts in your mind. Defeated in the final in Australia, where she was the two-time title holder, Aryna Sabalenka took a blow to the back of the head and failed to bounce back in Doha and Dubai. But the Belarusian showed her best side at Indian Wells, turning on the steamroller all the way to the final and leaving nothing but crumbs for her opponents.
However, her final loss to Mirra Andreeva left a bitter taste in the mouth and showed that the three-time Grand Slam winner may not have had the margin she had last year. Nevertheless, it's hard not to mention Aryna Sabalenka as one of the favourites for the women's tournament in Miami, with the bookmakers making the Belarusian the favourite to win in Florida.
WTA Miami Open 2025: don't underestimate Iga Swiatek
Like many players, Iga Swiatek has had to contend with Mirra Andreeva in recent weeks, in Dubai and Indian Wells. But while the Pole has yet to win a trophy in 2025, the quality of the world No. 2's game is there for all to see. To beat Iga Swiatek, you need to put in an XXL performance, something the Russian or Madison Keys did in Australia.
There's no guarantee that any of the players in the women's draw will be able to put in yet another majestic performance to beat Iga Swiatek, and the talent of the Polish player will still make the five-time Grand Slam winner a contender for overall victory at the Miami Masters 1000.
Mutliple candidates for this Masters 1000 WTA in Miami
Behind these 3 favourites, a large number of girls can also lay claim to a good run or even victory in Florida in a tournament that has often seen outsiders shine. Elena Rybakina, winner in 2023, knows what it takes to win in Miami. The Kazakh is looking for a benchmark result this year and in a setting that has suited her in the past, the world No. 8 will be one to watch. As will the American Coco Gauff, who is always a candidate for victory in front of her home crowd. Although the world No. 3 is going through a difficult period at the moment, the winner of the WTA Finals last November could return to her best at any moment.
But the best US prospect could well be Madison Keys! Winner of the Australian Open in January, the now 5th-ranked WTA player has just reached the last four at Indian Wells and her record of 18 wins in 20 matches this season shows the progress made by the Floridian, who will be on home soil at this tournament.
Here you have all the information and tips you need to make your previews for the Miami Masters 1000, which kicks off on Tuesday 18 March at the Hard Rock Stadium!
