MIAMI NEWS & NOTES
*Sofia Kenin & Bethanie Mattek-Sands were unseeded champions in Miami a year ago. They won the title match as 2.22 (+122) underdogs over (2)Dabrowski-Routliffe. That made an unseeded pair winners in five of the last seven runs in Miami. The super tie break finish was the first on the ladies’ side since 2014.
*Super tie breaks overall were large with 16 of the 31 matches needing the STB to settle the score. Six of the final seven matches from the quarterfinals through the final ended in super tie breaks. The other big spot for STBs was round one with seven of the 16 matches in the opening round going that way. The overall total was up slightly from 2023 where there were 13 STBs. The first round was again a beacon for those with eight of 16 matches needing the extra frame. 2022 was the last time that the STBs were found more heavily outside of round one. That year, eight of the 12 super tie break matches came from round two through to the semifinals.
*With the run of unseeded champions, the question is how do seeds fare early? Last year, only two seeds went one and done in round one. That’s been the exact number of seeds to lose their openers in each of the last three years in Miami. The last time more than two fell in round one was 2021, when three went down in the opening round. Generally though, look at rounds one and two as the places to go against seeds. 2017 was the last time that the quarterfinals saw more than four seeds make it. Seeds generally are worn down round by round with multiple unseeded semifinalists in each of the last six runs in Miami
*In that span since 2018, there has only been one all-seeded final. The top seeds have not been to the final since 2022 when Kudermetova-Mertens made it and lost. The last time that the top seeded pair in Miami took home the titles? 2015 when Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza did the trick. Siniakova-Townsend have a lot of history working against them to start the week.
*We will see a lot of the same faces that were in Indian Wells the last week and a half. Siniakova-Townsend lead the charge again as the top seeds as they try to recover from their first loss of 2025. Dabrowski-Routliffe, Errani-Paolini and Ostapenko-Perez round out the top four seeds. Both Dabrowski-Routliffe and Errani-Paolini made the semifinals in Miami last year. Newly minted Indian Wells’ champs Muhammad-Schuurs and runners-up Mihalikova-Nicholls are also in the draw, remaining unseeded this week.
THE UNSEEDED MENACES
Certainly with the history in Miami recently, unseeded pairs are ones to watch this week. There are three intriguing mix & match pairs for the week that I will touch on first.
Andreeva-Shnaider
Another week where they have yet to get seeded, but really deserve to be at this point. They had a difficult draw with Haddad Maia-Siegemund as their opener in Indian Wells and that led to a rare early loss. The powerful Russians had made the semifinals or better in each of their first three tournaments in 2025. Their portion of the draw should lead them to at least a quarterfinal with a shot to again show they are one of the top tier pairs on tour.
Fernandez/Melichar-Martinez
It’s a first time pairing for these two. Melichar-Martinez is the “specialist” of the two with all of her previous 18 matches (10-8) in 2025 coming with Timea Babos. Fernandez has not found much footing in doubles yet this season with a 2-5 record with Nadiya Kichenok being her partner in all but one of those matches. Last week she played with Luisa Stefani, losing a 10-1 super tie break to Dabrowski-Routliffe in round one. The Canadian has shown plenty of good success in the past though, including a final last year in Cincinnati with Putintseva. Chemistry is the obvious question here.
Babos-Stefani
These two rekindle a partnership that broke out in Linz earlier this year for a title. It was their first time pairing together, so the instant success is something to note. They scored wins over Siniakova-Zhang and the Kichenoks in the final two rounds. I think they’ll be a real danger in the draw that no seed wants to see.
Haddad Maia-Siegemund
These two are regulars in this section and they’ll be pleased to not see Siniakova-Townsend in their early path again this week. Their last two losses came to the WTA’s top team in super tie breaks in Dubai and last week in round two in Indian Wells. They’ve been solid overall at 11-5, but have not been able to match their finals run in Adelaide since the start of the season. Still, they’ve shown they can beat any one, any time. They’re one of the toughest unseeded outs in the business. A tricky opener does await though with Dolehide-Hunter. That’s a pair I like too, but they’ve yet to get it going in limited play in 2025.
Kalinskaya-McNally
These two came back together last week in Indian Wells for the first time since 2023. It was like time stood still as they picked right back up on the winning track with a solid quarterfinal run that including a victory over Dabrowski-Routliffe. They could be an intriguing round two foe for Siniakova-Townsend with a chance to prove their mettle against the best of the best.
Kostyuk-Ruse
It’s a rare non-Grand Slam entry for this dangerous duo. They did play Doha earlier in the year after making a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open. It’s interesting to note that most of their career damage has been done at Slams with a Madrid semifinal in 2023 as the one result that stands out in their non-Slam play. If both pairs win, it could be a round two showdown with Errani-Paolini. That’s a team they stretched to three sets in a French Open loss last year.
Muhammad-Schuurs
They won Indian Wells, so there should be no team considered more of a threat in the unseeded field than this one, right? Whipping Errani-Paolini in round one and handing Siniakova-Townsend their first loss signals just that to me. They’ll certainly be hunted this week more than being the hunters, so that will be a twist to monitor. It’s often difficult to follow up a breakthrough performance like last week, but their portion of the draw is open to where they have a legit shot again if they keep their confidence level up.
Collins-Krawczyk
It’s a better draw early for the Americans that could get them on track after they’ve lost both matches they played this year to tough opponents in Dabrowski-Routliffe in Australia and Ostapenko-Perez last week in Indian Wells. An early win may be exactly what they need to instill better belief in their doubles game this tournament. They’re in the Dabrowsko-Routliffe quarter where things look very open with the two seeds still seeking to find their rhythm this season.
ONE AND DONE WATCH
(2)Dabrowski-Routliffe
The two seeds escaped a third straight one and done in Indian Wells with a 10-1 super tie break victory over Fernandez-Stefani. They would lose in round two to Kalinskaya-McNally, but did show pretty well. Perhaps they are starting to find themselves again, but it’s another week and another week they need to prove it. Wang-Zheng are not an easy first round foe with the Chinese duo having an impressive early go this year with that Singapore runners-up finish. They have lost three straight, including their last two openers, so I do think Dabrowski-Routliffe should fight through. Still, the 2024 Miami finalists have not had an easy time of things, so this remains on the list albeit one of the ones I think might be less likely than others.
(5)Chan-Kudermetova
They survived their opener in Indian Wells in a super tie break before losing in round two. This week they have another tough starter with Xu-Yang. The Chinese pair has been steady at 7-5 this year, but have lacked a signature type win against the better teams on tour. This is another shot to score one and given that they’ve put seeds to super tie breaks in their last two losses, I think this one could be close as well.
(6)Danilina-Khromacheva
Coming off a finals run in Merida, Danilina-Khromacheva fell in their opener in Indian Wells last time out. That was their first opening round loss since the Australian Open. It’s a rough draw that puts them back on the list this week with Krueger-Pegula first up. The Americans have dropped their last two openers, but both were stretched to super tie breaks. It feels like they are close to scoring that big win and this might be the spot.
(8)Kenin-Kichenok
This pair finally got their first wins of the year in Indian Wells with an unexpected quarterfinal result after they had been crushed in both openers to start 2025. They needed super tie breaks to win both their matches last week, but were also impressive in keeping the match tight against SIniakova-Townsend in the quarters. Still, those small margins could go against them quickly. Fernandez/Melichar-Martinez are their openers, a team I touched on earlier. They may sneak through, but I think it will be a battle.
DRAW PREVIEW
Click HERE for the women’s draw
TOP HALF
We get to see how Siniakova-Townsend respond to their first loss of 2025 this week. This week’s top seeds are still a stellar 12-1, but will want to put their foot down this tournament to show there are no cracks in their game. I think it’s the unseeded pairs in this section that may cause them a bigger problem over the other seed, Kenin-Kichenok. In the top seeds half, Kalinskaya-McNally are the pair I am looking at for their first big test. Kalinskaya-McNally do have Bouzkova/Mattek-Sands to start, but they have struggled at 1-4 so far this season. I’d expect that we get the Siniakova-Towsend versus Kalinskaya-McNally showdown in round two. The bottom half looks very open with Kenin-Kichenok up against Fernandez/Melichar-Martinez first. The other match in this section pits Haddad Maia-Siegenmund against Dolehide-Hunter, which could also be a BANGER. Dolehide-Hunter are 0-2 this year, but they’ve fought hard in both defeats. Haddad Maia-Siegemund have been able to avoid opening defeats all year and fighting off Andreeva-Shnaider last week SHOULD give them the confidence again to avoid defeat, but it will be close.
Do we get Siniakova-Townsend and Haddad Maia-Siegemund for a third straight tournament? Both Dubai and Indian Wells went to Siniakova-Townsend in super tie breaks, but it’s been too close for comfort I’d think for the top seeds to feel good about having to play them again. I would not be surprised to see this one run back again, but keep an eye on Dolehide-Hunter. They could wipe that out in round one and one win is all I think they need to really start pumping out some great results.
The second quarter houses Errani-Paolini and Mertens-Zhang as the seeds. The Italians made the semifinals in Miami last year, but looked woeful in an opening round loss in Indian Wells last week. Nadiya Kichenok and Aldila Sutjiadi are the opponents in round one. I’d expect a much better showing for the seeds this week, at least to start. If they survive, it could be Kostyuk-Ruse in round two. They face Bucsa-Kato in round one, a team that is 0-5 this year with four super tie break losses. They’ll keep it close most likely, but can they finally score a win? Kostyuk-Ruse are the more treacherous tandem for me if they advance.
In the other half, Mertens-Zhang rekindle their partnership that led to a Wimbledon final back in 2022. They didn’t find that same connection in limited play last year with a 1-2 record with both losses in straight sets. Zhang has been very good this year with multiple partners, tallying 16 wins in 23 matches. She’s been to a pair of finals and at minimum, has made the quarterfinals in six of seven tournaments played. Mertens appears to be the odd women out with Perez and Ostapenko now playing more. Mertens-Perez started the year as a new pairing, but have not played together since an opening loss in Dubai. Mertens lost an opener at Indian Wells last week with Nadiya Kichenok. There’s no doubt for me that these are two of the most talented doubles players in the WTA, but can they find their chemistry again? This part of the draw gives them a shot for a run with Babos-Stefani sticking out as the unseeded pair to watch. Four wins in four matches in Linz for those two has them on the list of potential surprises this week. Eikeri-Olmos won’t be an easy win in round one with those two narrowly losing to Siniakova-Townsend in their debut last week in Indian Wells. Whoever survives that one should provide Mertens-Zhang with a tough match.
Do we see Siniakova-Townsend getting right back down to business this week after an unexpected loss? I don’t think it’s a sure thing with Haddad Maia-Siegemund in their path. Of course it is no guarantee that they’ll have to see them this week either, but the third time might be the charm. Mertens-Zhang would be the seeds I think might take advantage if Siniakova-Townsend falter. I might be looking past Errani-Paolini at my own peril, but I think that quarter is tough for them to advance through. Unseeded pairs like Kostyuk-Ruse or Babos-Stefani could have plenty to say as well. With the history of unseeded pairs moving through to the semifinals in Miami, I won’t be shocked to see at least one get through this half.
My Favorite: Haddad Maia-Siegemund
My Sleeper: Babos-Stefani
BOTTOM HALF
(4)Ostapenko-Perez as the lead seeds in quarter #3 as they look to recover from their first loss in seven matches. They had not dropped a set in their first six matches together. They start with Potapova-Putintseva who have a bit of experience together, but I don’t think will have the goods to beat the seeds if they’re playing near their best. Indian Wells’ runners-up Mihalokova-Nicholls might be waiting in round two. Keep in mind that they had lost three of their last four before their unexpected run last week, so new week, new proving grounds. First time pairing Noskova-Tauson will battle them in round one. Noskova had one big run with Putintseva in Dubai, but had lost four openers in a row prior to that week. Tauson has been competitive with multiple partners this year. All four of her first round matches in 2025 have gone to super tie breaks (3-1). Watch out for an unexpected upset.
The top half is where you find Chan-Kudermetova as the seeds, but all my focus is on Andreeva-Shnaider. I think they rebound from that early loss last week and could easily be ranked as the team to beat in this section. Kessler-Montgomery pair up for the first time against them and while Kessler has shown fairly well in doubles this year, I don’t seem them matching up with the Russians unless they lay an egg. Chan-Kudermetova rode the rollercoaster in both Indian Wells matches last week, with a super tie break and a super tie break loss. They may avoid defeat against Xu-Yang, but I don’t see either of those pairs beating Andreeva-Shnaider. I’m mostly past worrying about how their singles play will impact any potential doubles run as they’ve shown no real worries this year with Andreeva mowing down opponents in singles around every turn. I’d love to see an Ostapenko-Perez versus Andreeva-Shnaider quarterfinal.
The final quarter looks compelling with Dabrowski-Routliffe and Danilina-Khromacheva as the seeds. Both are hanging just above .500 this season. Danilina-Khromacheva have actually been the more consistent with three semifinals and a final amongst their eight tournaments played. Their half is riddled with unseeded pairs ready to roll. Krueger-Pegula, Muhammad-Schuurs and even Jiang-Wu look big threats to the seeds. I will be surprised if Danilina-Khromacheva come through this section. Muhammad-Schuurs are the ones to watch as I could see them suffer a bit from that championship hangover, but they may have also tapped into their true potential with that Indian Wells run. I think Miami will tell a lot about them.
As for the Dabrowski-Routliffe half, boy oh boy do the two seeds need to get on a roll. I think it was huge for them to avoid an opening loss again in Indian Wells, but they are back in a perilous spot in Miami. Wang-Zheng made round two here a year ago with both their matches going to super tie breaks. They have lost three straight though, so perhaps this is a good spot for Gaby and Erin to fend off an early battle. Even though Collins-Krawczyk have yet to record a win in 2025 in a small sample size, this may be the week where they change that. They face off against Aoyama-Hozumi who have lost three straight and seven of their last ten. That includes four opening round losses. A Dabrowski-Routliffe/Collins-Krawczyk battle for a quarterfinal spot would be delicious.
I do feel like Dabrowski-Routliffe have a shot to recapture their mojo in Miami. They played well here a year ago in making the final. For me, I really do think the other semifinal spot comes down to Ostapenko-Perez and Andreeva-Shnaider.
My Favorite: (2)Dabrowski-Routliffe
My Sleeper: Andreeva-Shnaider
CLOSING TIME
Unseeded pairs have won two of the last three titles in Miami and have taken at least one finals spot in three straight seasons. Does that trend continue in 2025? I think it very well could. I’m going with two of my usual suspects as the best bets to be in the final from the unseeded pool and that’s Haddad Maia-Siegemund and Andreeva-Shnaider. It’s not much of a stretch really for the Russians as they have played excellent doubles all year long. As for seeds, maybe I’m off in thinking this is the week where Dabrowski-Routliffe get their mojo back. However, I do think their half of the draw might be better suited for them to do it versus the top half. Am I really skipping past Siniakova-Townsend as contenders? I’m not skipping them. They have earned the respect of being favorites every week, but I really do think this draw has so much depth and so many harsh matchups that they may well need some help just to get to a semifinal.
PIGPIX
Haddad Maia-Siegemund
Andreeva-Shnaider
Dabrowski-Routliffe
DOUBLES TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS & PICKS 