The 2024 Miami Open has commenced, and the world is ready to watch the action unfold in the second half of the Sunshine Double. This Friday, Aryna Sabalenka will play against one of her closest friends, Paula Badosa. Badosa has already played one match in the tournament and will now aim to beat Saba to move ahead further in the championship.

Sabalenka will be facing a tough ordeal as her boyfriend of three years, Konstantin Koltsov, recently passed away. While it will be difficult for her to play her best, she will likely give her all against the Spaniard.

Paula Badosa vs Aryna Sabalenka: Preview

Sabalenka began her 2024 season with the Brisbane International, where she reached the final but lost to Elena Rybakina in straight sets. She then played in the Australian Open, where she managed to defend her title after beating Coco Gauff in the semifinal and Qinwen Zheng in the final. She followed it up with a first-round exit in Dubai against Donna Vekić.

In the Indian Wells Masters, Aryna Sabalenka won her first two rounds against Peyton Stearns and Emma Raducanu but lost to an in-form Emma Navarro in the third round. As Saba steps into Miami, she will mourn the unfortunate loss of her boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, which is bound to impact her performance.

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Badosa began 2024 with a first-round exit in the Adelaide International. She then found herself exiting the Australian Open in the third round after beating Taylor Townsend in the first round. In the following Hua Hin Championships, she withdrew in the second round and then she also withdrew from the Abu Dhabi Open. In the Qatar Open, she would go on to beat Ashlyn Krueger but lost to Leylah Fernandez later.

Badosa would also withdraw from Dubai after playing a few games in the first set and then she also withdrew from the Indian Wells Masters. In Miami, Badosa faced the comeback star Simona Halep and defeated her in three sets. She will now play against her close friend.

Badosa vs Sabalenka: Head-to-Head

Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka have played against each other four times on tour so far. Their first clash took place in the 2021 Cincinnati Masters, where Saba won the first set. Badosa would go on to take the second set from Saba quickly. The third set would go to the tiebreaker, and Badosa would emerge victorious. They then played against each other in the 2021 WTA Finals, where Badosa took the first set 6-4. She would then bagel Sabalenka to win the clash.

The third bout between the two players took place in the 2022 Stuttgart Open, and Saba won the first set after a long battle and closed out the second set as well to win her first match against Badosa. They would then face each other in the 2023 Stuttgart Open, where Saba would go on to win once again, this time in three sets, equalizing their head-to-head score.

Prediction: Badosa to take the win

Aryna Sabalenka’s performance in the following tournaments since the Australian Open has not been great. Badosa has been performing better and is slowly coming back to a form that shows her real talent. Badosa is therefore predicted to win, but the clash will not be easy for her to take home. Sabalenka will give her a good fight, and the fans in the stands will be given a treat.

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