Miami Open Match Preview

“I would say like a solid 75,” Osaka said this week, when she was asked to rate her ball-striking level at the moment. “I think 75 is a good number.”

That’s 75 out of a 100 hundred, I assume. It was enough, barely, to get her through in three sets against 108th-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva in her first match in Miami. But it’s not where Osaka feels she was to start the season.

“I felt really, really good in Australia,” Osaka said. “Then I got injured, and I couldn’t play for, like, three weeks to a month. That gap, it took me back quite a lot. I think now it’s better again, but I still find myself not really committed to the shots that I want to hit.”

The question for Osaka is whether she can reach a higher number against Samsonova, because 75 doesn’t seem like it’s going to be enough. The Russian is ranked 40 spots ahead of her, No. 21 to No. 61. She beat her the last time they played, 7-5 in the third in Madrid in 2024. And she made a decent run to the quarters last week in Indian Wells, before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.

Osaka has the better serve, and Samsonova can have bad days out of the blue; with her talent and physicality, she should be ranked higher. But on a good day, she’s a player who can match, or come close to matching, Osaka’s pace from the ground. Winner: Samsonova

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The Miami Heat could be down one of their key players while facing the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Andrew Wiggins is dealing with a left leg contusion.

According to the official NBA injury report, Wiggins is questionable for the action. Therefore, he’s on pace to potentially keep up with an unfortunate trend since he joined the Heat via trade.

Since joining the Miami Heat in the blockbuster trade, which involved the disgruntled Jimmy Butler, Wiggins has missed a handful of games. He made his Miami debut against the Boston Celtics on February 10. He played in two games before missing his first set of action.

There was a four-game stretch Wiggins played after he returned to the court for Miami. However, a five-game absence for Wiggins followed the Heat’s 131-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Wiggins was in action for five of the Heat’s last six games. He missed the most recent outing against the New York Knicks. Over the five-game span of Wiggins playing, Miami lost all five of their matchups. Heading into the Wednesday night game against the Pistons, the Heat are on an eight-game losing streak and sliding down the Eastern Conference standings.

While Wiggins’ presence won’t guarantee a win for the Heat, Miami needs all of the help it can get. With a 29-39 record, they have fallen past the Chicago Bulls to claim the 10th seed in the East. They are just a few games in front of the Toronto Raptors at this point.

The Pistons and the Heat will tip off at 7:30 PM ET on Wednesday.

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