“I learned that your confidence shouldn’t depend on your results. To lose one match doesn’t have to kill you from inside,” spoke Daria Kasatkina after returning to the winners’ circle in Melbourne in 2021. The Russian sensation is still hunting for her best form this season and has decently performed on the tour till now. Though her last outing didn’t record much success, the 27-year-old has jetted to the South Side hoping for a turnaround and should expect resistance before getting a chance to dig deep. As a seeded player at the Miami Open, she has received a bye in the opening round, and will now take to the court for a Round of 64 clash against Hailey Baptiste on Friday, March 21. Without further ado, let’s dive into the details of their match-up.

Kasatkina vs Baptiste: Preview

The Russian sensation will enter the Miami Open on the back of a tough second-round loss in Indian Wells. She staged a comeback victory over Sofia Kenin in the event’s opener. However, Kasatkina’s efforts were overturned after Luidmila Samsonova came back to defeat her from a one-set deficit in the second round. She is seeded No. 12 in South Beach.

Meanwhile, Baptiste arrived in Miami after qualifying for the Indian Wells Masters main draw. She secured a place in the Round of 64 but, unfortunately, that was as far as she could go after losing to countrywoman Danielle Collins. The American player was up against Olga Danilovic in the opening round of the Miami Masters. Having leveled the match with a tiebreaker win in the second set, Baptiste concluded the contest after conceding just one game in the third to set up a date against Kasatkina.

Kasatkina vs Baptiste: Head-to-Head

Kasatkina and Baptiste have squared off once on the tour. The duo last met in Seoul, where the outcome favored the Russian player. And, as a result, she leads their head-to-head 1-0. Their second-round clash in Miami will count as their second overall meet on the WTA.

• 2024 Korea Open, R16: Kasatkina 6-4, 6-2

Prediction: Kasatkina to win in straight sets

Daria Kasatkina’s 2025 season has recorded modest results so far. She commenced her run at the Australian hard court swing and reached the last eight in Adelaide after suffering a second-round loss at the Brisbane International. The 27-year-old later reached the fourth round of the season’s first Major, the Australian Open, but lost a chance to dig deeper after losing to American Emma Navarro. However, the Middle East was a bust for her.

A third-round appearance in Doha squeezed in between first-round exits from Abu Dhabi and Dubai hardly furthered her agenda and the same story was repeated in Indian Wells. Moreover, the Russian player has been underperforming in Masters 1000 events since last year. She has only managed to reach the third round at this level only twice since the beginning of the 2024 season. All this means Kasatkina will have to be more cautious. Four of her seven losses this season have come against American players and Baptiste has only started to pick up the pace.

The American sensation registered her first-ever top 50 win this season over Danilovic, resulting in her maiden career win in Miami – she was previously 0-4 at the event before this year. The 23-year-old launched her 2025 season in Auckland where she finished quarterfinalist against Naomi Osaka. However, Baptiste was adamant on the Grand Slam stage after losing in the opening round of the Melbourne Slam and only managed to reach the Round of 16 in Singapore before suffering qualifying round exits in Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

She is now aiming to reach the third round of a WTA 1000 tournament for the second time in her career. But, seeing as she holds a 2-10 record against the top 20 players, she could face resistance from Kasatkina. Although the Russian player is favored to win, she will have to be careful of her younger rival. If she maintains her rhythm, the second round of the Miami Open should see Daria Kasatkina advance without much trouble.