Schedule and Preview Miami Open 2025 Day Ten: Sabalenka-Paolini and Pegula-Eala as WTA semi-finals take Centre Stage

It is Day Ten of the 2025 Miami Open and the schedule is set albeit it has already caused some controversy after the issues that were encountered on Wednesday night in Florida. But the WTA semi-finals in the main should take Centre Stage.

That controversy related to the third match up as Novak Djokovic will face Sebastian Korda in the second men's Quarter-Final of the day but in reality it should've perhaps been more clear cut when it was taking place.

With the new ATP rule as to the scheduling and matches not being allowed past 11pm outside of the Grand Slams, Djokovic and Korda waited all day for their match to be called off late into the night. So both now have to return against on Thursday.

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Their only saving grace of course being that the duo will not have to encounter the same issue of playing last albeit it could yet hamper another of the Quarter-Finals on Thursday.

This due to the Miami Open deciding to keep the same scheduling instead of starting marginally earlier so it will all kick off at around 1pm local time which is around 6pm in Europe with a European tie to start with as Arthur Fils faces Jakub Mensik.

Fantastic Fils battles marvellous Mensik

Perhaps the most entertaining clash on paper in the men's draw on Thursday, it sees two Next Gen stars face off in their first chance to prove themselves as real contenders. Fils at 20 is already in the top 20, Mensik is 19 and is hurtling towards the top 50. Could Miami be their Draper moment?

They've played once on indoor hard courts at the Next Gen Finals last autumn with FIls coming away a straight sets winner. The Frenchman despite ditching his coach earlier in the month has been in stellar form and only lost to Daniil Medvedev only just at Indian Wells. In Miami, he has beaten Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev both in three setters.

Mensik beat Draper in two tie-breakers in the second round, he holds the impetus for the fact that he has played less. Last round he didn't play as compatriot Tomas Machac bowed out while Fils has played two grinding ties in two days. Fils has the momentum but Mensik will have the fresher battery. The winner faces the match that perhaps will be the latest men's game.

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That being Taylor Fritz v Matteo Berrettini which is slated to be on before Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala take to the court to finish the day on Thursday.

Fritz is surprisingly 4-0 against Berrettini and has just dropped one set to him in those matches and this happened way back in 2019. Berrettini and Fritz have both been higher echelon top 10 players and have both reached Grand Slam finals.

Both have a huge serve and forehand and neither is overly flashy. But both come into Miami in a comeback trail. Berrettini is often injured and is currently ranked World No.30 and has been looking to return to his best for a modicum of time. While Fritz has been trying to bounce back from his poor start of the year. One that saw him lose early at the Australian Open and he has done just that. Fritz though will be buoyed by that superb Head to Head record.

Sabalenka faces Paolini as Djokovic finally returns 

Onto the semi-finals and first of all Aryna Sabalenka will face Jasmine Paolini to kick off the last four in earnest on Thursday second up on Stadium.

Sabalenka only holds a 3-2 advantage over Paolini when it comes to Head to Head albeit the last two meetings have gone her way with the duo playing all the way back in 2017 for the first time.

The World No.1 won in 2024 at the WTA FInals 6-3, 7-5 and their only other recent meeting was at Beijing back in 2023. Jasmine Paolini's last win was Indian Wells in 2022. So both are vastly improved players.

In many ways since their first meetings, they have followed similar upward trajectories. Of course Sabalenka has become a Grand Slam champion and a World No.1 but Paolini albeit unexpectedly in a way has become a top five player over the past year and has reached a multitude of Grand Slam finals.

Aryna Sabalenka... Champion Elect?

They always say the sequel is harder than the first film and it has proven to be that this year for Paolini but results like this will do her confidence no harm ahead of critical juncture. Having not defended her Dubai points, she fell in the rankings but she will have to defend Roland Garros and Wimbledon final points soon.

So any extra she can accrue this week are well worth it. She has been in and out of action with Magda Linette brushed aside on Tuesday. Naomi Osaka was defeated on Monday but she had a walk-over against Ons Jabeur on Saturday after defeating Rebecca Sramkova last Thursday.

Sabalenka too has seen off Zheng Qinwen and Danielle Collins in her last two rounds so gone through the tough arduous yards to get to this point. With a point to prove after Indian Wells disappointment though the likelihood points to a prediction of a Sabalenka win.

Then it is onto Groundhog Day like alluded to as Novak Djokovic faces Sebastian Korda in the second attempt at this.

Branded sheer stupidity by those on social media and some went as far as to say it is why the PTPA is needed to bring the ATP in line.

In reality, it was the Miami Open who were the reason not the ATP but still. Neither player took to the court on Wednesday mainly due to Grigor Dimitrov's late finish albeit this can only help one man.

That being Korda who was mooted to be injured in the run-up to this tie. A day extra of rest could help him and hinder Djokovic who albeit still is a juggernaut likely got himself physically ready on Wednesday to have to suddenly cool down which likely won't help him. A more even clash on paper as a result now.

Round Two for Djokovic....

Rising upstart Eala faces Pegula

Then finally it is the return of Alexandra Eala who has been the story of the Miami Open so far in many ways. She has lit up the tournament with her electrifying tennis and taking down Keys, Ostapenko and Swiatek.

But perhaps her biggest test now awaits and that is Jessica Pegula. A player who of course isn't a Grand Slam champion but is the Queen of Consistency or has been in recent years.

She barely suffers losses and players have to be good to beat her. Swiatek and Keys had other pressures on them with the Pole battling issues off court with a man abusing her and needing extra security. Keys of course is now a Grand Slam champion.

Pegula faced Emma Raducanu and dazzled and has only really been taken to school by Anna Kalinskaya in the opening stanza of the event this week. But what can Eala do? It is safe to say that making predictions against her winning are fruitless and the same can be said even if she faces Sabalenka in what would be a lopsided prediction in favour of the World No.1.

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But Pegula will hope to quell that tide and head into another final. She is defending very little after not competing during most of the clay court swing so in reality should be buoyed by this. But also she won't stand on ceremony to the 19-year-old and so a top tie of cat and mouse is expected no doubt.

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