Miami Open 2024: Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jessica Pegula preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming details

Published at :March 27, 2024 at 8:40 AM

Modified at :March 27, 2024 at 8:40 AM

Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova pulled off the upset of the tournament with win over Iga Swiatek.

It has been a graveyard of seeds at the WTA 1000 Miami Open 2024 as the title hopefuls drop like flies. The top and bottom half of the draw are empty of top 10 seeds – only three remain.

Ekaterina Alexandrova claimed the biggest scalp of them all — ending World No. 1 Iga Swiatek’s quest for a second sweep of the Sunshine Double. Iga Swiatek claimed trophies at Indian Wells and Miami in 2022. The 29-year-old earned her first career win over a World No. 1 by defeating the Pole 6-4, 6-2 in the Miami Open 2024 Round of 16 on Monday night.

Swiatek had no answers to Alexandrova’s game and generated just one break point in the match, which Alexandrova saved to extend her first-set lead to 4-2.

Alexandrova, a quarterfinalist in Miami last year, will face No.5 Jessica Pegula next. Pegula is in her third consecutive Miami quarterfinal after defeating fellow American Emma Navarro 7-6(1), 6-3.

Florida resident Pegula is a Miami Open semi-finalist on two previous occasions. She needed 1 hour and 29 minutes to dispatch her fellow American after coming from 4-1 down in the first set. The latest win makes Pegula the first American to reach three consecutive quarterfinals in Miami since Serena Williams (2012-15).

Before Pegula reaches the last four, she will have to face No. 14 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who pulled off the upset of the tournament by sending Swiatek to an early exit from the Sunshine Double event.

Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jessica Pegula Match Timings

Date: March 28
Time: 4:30 AM IST (Tentative)
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jessica Pegula preview

Jessica Pegula is the second-highest seed remaining after No. 4 Elena Rybakina on a day that witnessed both Swiatek and Gauff make a beeline for the exit earlier than either player would have anticipated. She is also the highest-seeded American left in the draw and the sole surviving among the top 10 in the draw’s top half. Rybakina leads in the draw’s bottom half.

Pegula has been in fine form this week, reaching the quarterfinals without dropping a set. As the event reaches its business end, she will fancy her chances in the absence of any meaningful competition.

But she will have to be wary of giant killer Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in their very first meeting. It is also her first win against a World No. 1.

World No. 16 Alexandrova took out Donna Vekic and fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before turning her attention to Iga Swiatek. Alexandrova was the beneficiary of a first-round bye.

Swiatek’s loss against the Russian resulted in her earliest exit from a major tournament since her loss to Linda Noskova in the Australian Open third round in January. Alexandrova also denied Swiatek the chance of being the first woman since Steffi Graf (1994, 1996) to secure a Sunshine Double twice.

Head-to-head records

Matches – 1

Jessica Pegula – 1

Ekaterina Alexandrova – 0

Jessica Pegula and Ekaterina Alexandrova are headed for their first match in three years. The last time they came across each other was in 2021 at the WTA 1000 event in Rome. Pegula won their round of 16 face-off in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

Where and how to watch live streaming and TV broadcast of Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jessica Pegula, Miami Open 2024 quarter-final match in India?

Jessica Pegula and Ekaterina Alexandrova will turn up courtside for their quarter-final match at the Miami Open hoping to reach the last four.

For the women’s singles draw, including the quarter-final face-off between Pegula and Alexandrova, Indian viewers can tune into official streaming services Tennis TV and WTA TV.

Prediction

Since withdrawing from the Middle East swing with a neck injury, Pegula turned up at Miami with a semi-final run at San Diego behind her. For the World No. 5, Miami has been a happy hunting ground in the last two years. She is 13-4 at the venue and has reached the semifinals for two years running.

With the slate clear of most of the top 10 seeds — only three survive into the second week, including Pegula, the American will fancy her chances of lifting the Miami Open trophy. The other two top 10 seeds remaining in the draw are Elena Rybakina (4) and Maria Sakkari (8).

Alexandrova is 8-4 in Miami, and her best performance to date here is the quarter-final appearance against eventual champion Petra Kvitova in 2023.

Pegula’s numbers in 2024 do not tell the whole story — she is one of the hardest hitters on tour. The American is also one of two players to defeat Swiatek multiple times in 2023, along with Rybakina. But she will have her work cut out against the big-serving Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Alexandrova sent down 76 aces in just 15 matches this season, in contrast to Pegula’s 27 from 10 games. As with powerful servers, her double faults (81) are almost on par with her aces served. Pegula trails the Russian in service games won — but only just, with 66.1% against Alexandrova’s 67.3%.

Pegula steals the lead in return games won – 45.6% to Alexandrova’s 43%. The American enjoys a substantial lead in breakpoints converted than the Russian at 49.5% – 41.1%. Pegula saves more breakpoints than her Russian rival, which is at 57.4% to 55.1%.

Result: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.

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