Tennis best bets for the action at the Miami Open on Sunday, March 26th
We’re a few days into the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and the second half of the Sunshine Double has been fun thus far. We’re looking forward to watching some more good tennis from the Sunshine State over the next week or so. With that in mind, keep reading for our tennis best bets for Sunday, March 26th, and make sure you keep coming back for more!
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on March 26
Marketa Vondrousova vs. Karolina Pliskova
Pliskova’s booming first serve will be tough to pick up on these fast Miami courts, but Vondrousova should be able to figure it out. She’s having a fantastic 2023 season thus far, as she is 12-5 on the year and has a break percentage of 44.1%. With her ability to get into her opponent’s serve, it’s hard not to back her in this meeting with Pliskova.
The reality here is that Pliskova isn’t a very good mover, and that makes it hard to believe she’ll find a way to chase down balls on this surface. So, if Vondrousova can find a way to earn a break or two in this match, she should have no trouble winning. She’s clearly the sturdier baseliner in this matchup.
Another thing working in Vondrousova’s favor here is the fact that Pliskova is the definition of a sucker bet. Pliskova is 3-0 against Vondrousova in her career, and she is 86 spots higher in the rankings. Despite that, the oddsmakers have made Vondrousova a favorite. They’re begging you to take Pliskova, and we’re not falling for it.
Bet: Vondrousova ML (-134)
Botic van de Zandschulp vs. Casper Ruud
Ruud looked phenomenal in a win over Ilya Ivashka last round, as the Norwegian earned a 6-2, 6-3 win over the world No. 80. That was the closest we’ve seen to peak form for Ruud since he returned in Acapulco, so perhaps it’s time to start putting a little respect on his name. We’ll do that by backing him to beat his Dutch opponent in straight sets.
Van de Zandschulp is coming off a win over Alexei Popyrin in the Round of 64, but that didn’t have much to do with his play. Van de Zandschulp played rather poorly in that match, but Popyrin couldn’t get out of his own way. He constantly overhit on his break point opportunities, and the Australian simply let that one get away after winning the first set. With that said, we’re still comfortable fading the Dutchman.
Van de Zandschulp recently made the decision to part ways with his coach, and that’s not something you do when things are going well. Look for him to struggle a bit over the next few months, with Ruud being one of the first beneficiaries of that. Ruud is simply better than him in every facet of the game, and the only thing that can prevent the world No. 4 from winning this one in straight sets is a sloppy performance. If Ruud simply comes out sharp and plays his game, this should be an easy win.
Bet: Ruud To Win 2-0 (-110)