Due to rain on both Friday and Saturday, the tournament looks to play catch up on Sunday, with 44 matches scheduled. And thankfully, there is no rain in the forecast.
This past January at the Australian Open, Iga Swiatek was upset by Linda Noskova in the third round, while Naomi Osaka fell to Caroline Garcia in the first round. On Sunday, both Iga and Naomi get a rematch against those same opponents.
The day’s schedule also features top seeds such as Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, and Daniil Medvedev. Plus, two-time Miami champion Andy Murray tries to win three consecutive matches at tour level for the first time in over a year.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Sunday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Caroline Garcia (23) vs. Naomi Osaka – Third on Grandstand Court
Their match in Melbourne was just the third in Osaka’s comeback from child birth, and saw Garcia be victorious after two tight sets. The difference was the few break points either of these two great servers allowed. Caroline claimed one of her three opportunities, while Naomi failed to earn a break point in either set.
They would meet again just a few weeks later in Doha, where Osaka avenged that loss with a 7-5, 6-4 victory. Overall Naomi leads their head-to-head 2-1, as she also defeated Caroline at the 2021 Australian Open.
Osaka is now 7-5 this year after two straight-set wins this week, including a solid victory over Elina Svitolina on Saturday afternoon. Garcia easily advanced on Friday, losing only three games to Viktoriya Tomova.
After playing excellently during the last six months of 2022, Caroline’s form declined as 2023 progressed, dnd she’s a modest 7-7 in 2024. At an event where Naomi feels so comfortable, and in the state where she spent much of her childhood, Osaka should be favored to collect her third victory over Garcia.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Linda Noskova (26) – Not Before 7:00pm on Stadium Court
In Melbourne, 19-year-old Noskova came from a set down to beat Swiatek 6-4 in the third. Iga failed to convert some critical break points in that matchup, especially in the third set. Much like Osaka and Garcia, these two players would soon meet again, with Iga getting a statement win over Linda in Indian Wells by a score of 6-4, 6-0, winning the last 10 games of that match.
Swiatek has now won 14 of her last 15 matches since the loss to Noskova, with 13 of those 14 wins being authoritative straight-set victories. Dating back to the start of Indian Wells over two weeks ago, Iga has won 13 consecutive sets, and lost only 23 games.
By contrast, Linda has failed to follow-up on her huge victory over Iga. At the Australian Open, she lost in the next round to Dayana Yastremska, and has only won four main draw matches since leaving Melbourne. Plus, their only previous encounter before this year was another straight-set win for Swiatek. While Noskova remains an impressive young player, the World No.1 is a considerable favorite on Sunday.
Other Notable Matches on Sunday:
Coco Gauff (3) vs. Oceane Dodin (LL) – Gauff was one of the only players to complete a match on Friday despite all the rain, comfortably dispatching of Nadia Podoroska 6-1, 6-2. That same day, Dodin prevailed in three sets against Arantxa Rus.
Leylah Fernandez (31) vs. Jessica Pegula (5) – Pegula is a modest 7-4 this season, and has struggled since parting ways with her longtime coach, David Witt. Fernandez is 7-6, and arrived in Miami on a three-match losing streak.
Tomas Machac vs. Andy Murray – Murray has already earned impressive victories this week over Matteo Berrettini and Tomas Etcheverry. Machac upset fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev on Friday. Just last month in Marseille, Machac defeated Murray in straight sets.
Tallon Griekspoor (25) vs. Jannik Sinner (2) – Sinner is now 17-1 in 2024, and is a two-time runner-up in Miami, including a year ago. Griekspoor is 10-6 this season, and needed nearly three hours on Saturday to overcome American Alex Michelsen. Jannik has beaten Tallon three times since the beginning of last year, all straight-setters.
Cameron Norrie (30) vs. Daniil Medvedev (3) – Medvedev is the defending champion, and eliminated Marton Fucsovics in straights on Saturday. Later in the day, Norrie defeated Flavio Cobolli in three. Daniil has claimed both of their previous meetings in straight sets, and both were on hard courts.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
