Jule Niemeier vs Storm Sanders Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Miami

Prediction published on 18/03/2024, 05:51  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 18/03/2024 at 07:05 in Tennis Predictions

World number 122 Storm Hunter and world number 112 Jule Niemeier meet yet again in the qualifying rounds at the Miami Open. The winner here will advance to the main draw. Jule Niemeier lost to Hunter two seasons ago to see her debut appearance here ended in the preliminaries. She will have this in the back of her mind as she seeks to make the main draw for the second successive season. The German was eliminated in the first round here last season. Niemeier has had a strong season so far, alternating between the tour, ITF, and challenger circuits. She has compiled a 16-7 record and 13 of her wins have come on hard courts. Niemeier has produced a runner-up finish in the ITF but hasn’t dominated at tour level. Two of the four tour tournaments she has participated in have seen her eliminated in the qualifying rounds. The 24-year-old defeated Nao Hibino in three sets in the first round. She has now moved up to 108th place in the live ranking.

Storm Hunter has made the main draw at Miami Gardens in each of the last three seasons. Her recent success in this event will make her confident of progressing here. The Australian produced second-round finishes in her first two appearances here but last season fell in the first round. Hunter is having a dominant campaign and so far has won 12 of 16 matches. She has alternated between the top two levels in the WTA and made the final in Mumbai in the challenger circuit. The highlight of her season so far is however her third-round finish at the Australian Open as a qualifier. It was not only her best-ever result in Melbourne but her best at a major. Hunter, who has secured all 12 of her wins on hard courts, defeated Alize Cornet in the first round. She won in three sets with the first set requiring a tiebreaker. The win allowed her to move up two places to 120th in the live ranking.