Jason Collins
Dailysports's expert
Kimberly Birrell
Marta Kostyuk
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On March 20 in Miami, Kimberly Birrell will face Marta Kostyuk in their second-round match. Here's my exclusive prediction for this event.
Kimberly Birrell
The Australian can't boast significant career achievements, having only recently broken into the top 100, currently ranked 68th in the world at 26 years old. In Miami, she had to start from the qualifiers, where she defeated Belarusian Alexandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-3, and then British Harriet Dart 6-4, 6-3.
Birrell had an extremely tough match in the first round of the main draw against Russia's Anastasia Potapova, winning 3-6, 6-3, coming from 3-5 down in the third set, saving a match point, and ultimately prevailing in the tiebreak. This year, the Australian even reached the final of a Grand Slam event, albeit in mixed doubles.
Marta Kostyuk
The Ukrainian tennis player is having a somewhat unremarkable season so far, despite showing a good level of tennis. It's worth noting that Kostyuk competes in top-tier tournaments, where there are few easy opponents.
At the recent Indian Wells, she was stopped in the fourth round, losing in straight sets to the strong Chinese player Zheng. Currently, Marta is ranked 29th in the world at 22 years old. In Miami, she starts from the second round due to her high seeding. If Kostyuk finds consistency, high results can be expected.
Match facts
- This year, Birrell has 20 wins in 25 matches, although not all tournaments were of high level.
- Kostyuk has won 8 out of 15 matches this season.
- The odds for the upcoming battle are: P1 – 3.15, P2 – 1.38.
Prediction
In this matchup, the Ukrainian is considered the favorite; she's younger, higher in the rankings, and in terms of abilities and potential, Marta is better. The players have not met in tournaments before. I believe the match will be a hard-fought battle, which is why I dare to bet on the Australian's success with a +4.5 games handicap. After all, the Australian has won three matches on the Miami courts, gaining confidence in her abilities.
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