Will Siegemund keep the German flag flying high in the Sunshine State?

During the 8.8 million US dollar Major tournament in Miami, perennial favourite Laura Siegemund not only celebrated two victories in qualifying, but also held her own in the first round of the main draw. This is the second time since 2021 that the player from Filderstadt has reached the second round of this tournament, where she will meet an old acquaintance. With Laura Siegemund against Paula Badosa, it’s not that far-fetched to assume that the German will be able to prevail once again.
Not only does the 35-year-old lead the head-to-head comparison with the ten-year-younger Spaniard, but the German has also been in better form recently. Paula Badosa, on the other hand, is still suffering from her thigh injury, which not only caused her to miss the Australian Open, but from then on she only managed to win one match on the WTA Tour. The forecast for Laura Siegemund against Paula Badosa is correspondingly coherent for the supposed outsider from Germany.

It has to be said that Laura Siegemund, currently number 114 in the WTA world rankings, is no longer at the peak of her career. However, performances like the one at the Australian Open, when she was the only German player to reach the third round and beat a renowned opponent, Irina-Camelia Begu (WTA 30), prove that the Filderstadt player is still a force to be reckoned with.

Against a Spaniard who is not back to 100% after her thigh injury, we believe that the conditions for an underdog bet are given, which is why we recommend betting on Laura Siegemund to win.

Laura Siegemund – Statistics & current form

Current ranking in the world rankings: 114
Position in the seedings: Qualification

Laura Siegemund, 35, of Germany, has increasingly plummeted over the last two years. After finishing the curious year 2020 as world number 50, she was only ranked 169 in the WTA world rankings at the end of the 2022 season.

Accordingly, the Filderstadt native has already had to go through the qualifying rounds at the major tournaments this year, which caused her no problems at the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells or here in Miami.

With another win back into the Top 100?

In the meantime, Laura Siegemund has already returned to No. 114 in the rankings and can look forward to further points thanks to a commanding 2-0 opening victory over Egypt’s Mayar Sherif in the main draw of the Miami Open.

As things stand, the 35-year-old would be logged in as the new world number 103 next Monday. Should she even manage to beat Paula Badosa to reach the third round of the Miami Open for the first time, her return to the top 100 would be perfect.

Won ten of 18 singles matches in 2023

When it comes to Laura Siegemund against Paula Badosa, the prediction of her progressing is not that far-fetched. The 35-year-old German won the only match between the two players on the WTA Tour so far in the last 16 of the 2020 French Open 2-0 (7-5, 6-2).

Most recently, the Filderstadt player was also able to improve her annual record in 2023. With the successful qualification and the victory over Mayar Sherif, Laura Siegemund now has ten wins from her 18 completed singles matches in the new year.

Paula Badosa – Statistics & current form

Current world ranking: 29
Position in the seedings: 21

The 25-year-old Spaniard Paula Badosa already attracted attention as a junior player. In 2015, she once won the girls’ singles at the French Open, after which the lady with the so aggressive baseline strokes started a successful career on the WTA Tour.

Also in 2015, the American-born player made her professional debut at major level here in Miami, of all places, when she advanced straightaway to the third round of the Miami Open.

Last year among the top eight players in Miami

Meanwhile, Paula Badosa is in the mix for a sixth time at the Miami Open, where she had her best run yet a year ago when she ended up reaching the quarter-finals. The Spaniard has won six of her eleven singles matches at the Hard Rock Stadium (five losses).

Consequently, the bookmakers believe the 25-year-old has a good chance of making it through this year’s tournament as well. After her walk-through in the first round, the betting odds are now clearly in favour of Laura Siegemund against Paula Badosa.

Won only one of the four singles after her injury

However, 2023 hasn’t gone too smoothly for the WTA world number 29 so far. In a strong preparation tournament for the Australian Open, Paula Badosa suffered an injury at the Adelaide International 2 and had to withdraw without a fight in the run-up to the semi-final she had reached. The thigh injury subsequently meant the 25-year-old also missed the first Grand Slam tournament of the new year.

Since then, the Spaniard has been struggling to make a comeback, but has only managed to win one of just four singles matches she has played since the injury – a 2-0 win a fortnight ago in her opening match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells against compatriot Nuria Parrizas Diaz, who is ranked just 88th in the world…

Laura Siegemund – Paula Badosa Direct comparison / H2H record

Head to head: 1:0

On the WTA Tour, both women faced each other in the last 16 of the 2020 French Open. At that time, Laura Siegemund celebrated a smooth 2:0 victory, with which she leads the direct comparison. In addition, there were two duels between the two women in small tournaments in Karlsruhe and in Sharm El Sheikh, in which both players won once. The German also leads 2-1 overall.

Laura Siegemund – Paula Badosa tip

The odds are in favour of Laura Siegemund against Paula Badosa. Nevertheless, three points speak in favour of the German. Firstly, the 35-year-old leads the direct comparison against the world number 29. Secondly, Badosa has been suffering from a thigh injury lately, after which she lost three of four singles matches on the WTA Tour. And thirdly, Siegemund is already acclimatised in Miami after three wins in qualifying and round one, while the seeded Spaniard is only now getting into the tournament.

It is therefore interesting to bet on Laura Siegemund’s progress against Paula Badosa, especially as the ingredients for a successful underdog bet are basically in place.