Katie Boulter hopes to be third-time lucky against Peyton Stearns when both women face off in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday.
The British star, who has lost back-to-back meetings against the American player, aims to snap that streak to have a shot at matching her performance from last year in Florida, where she reached the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event for the first time.
Match preview
© Imago
It is safe to say that Boulter is making up for lost time, having missed the Middle East swing due to a foot injury that sidelined her after the Australian Open.
The 28-year-old took time off after the opening Grand Slam of 2025, following her exit in Melbourne to Veronika Kudermetova, but returned a fortnight ago for the first leg of the Sunshine Double at Indian Wells, defeating Irina-Camelia Begu in three sets before falling to Elena Rybakina in straight sets.
While the third-round match against the eight-time WTA champion seemed to be going disappointingly for Boulter after a first-set bagel — Rybakina had dispatched the British player 6-1, 6-1 two years ago at Wimbledon — the three-time titlist responded in the second set, even if she ultimately lost 6-0, 7-5.
Nevertheless, there were positives to draw from the competitive edge shown against the Kazakhstani star in California, and she aims to put that to good use in Florida against Stearns, against whom she holds a losing record.
Aiming to improve her 4-3 record in 2025 and her 3-3 career form in Miami, Boulter will back herself to extend the American's ongoing losing run.
© Imago
Stearns enters the fourth WTA 1000 tournament with a 0-3 run since a positive performance in Dubai, where the American player defeated Ons Jabeur and Qinwen Zheng before falling to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva in the third round.
That defeat occurred under unfortunate circumstances after a rain delay meant that the American was hampered by playing both Zheng and Andreeva on the same day, which was a disappointment for Stearns, who had hoped for a positive run after securing her first top-10 victory over the Olympic gold medallist.
However, two more losses have followed for the 23-year-old since her Dubai exit, with Varvara Gracheva and Magda Linette getting the better of the world No. 43 in Austin and Indian Wells.
Seeking to snap that three-match sequence without success, Stearns will hope to leverage the psychological edge in this head-to-head to record her sixth main-draw success this season and second in Miami, matching her performance from last year.
Last year's round-one success over Wang Yafan was followed by a tight three-set elimination at the hands of Victoria Azarenka, and the American player hopes to at least equal her form from 12 months ago to set up a round-two clash with Elise Mertens this time.
Head To Head
US Open (2023) - Third round: Stearns 6-4 6-3
Austin (2023) - Round of 32: Stearns 7-6(5) 6-7(2) 7-6(5)
Stearns and Boulter face off for the third time on American soil after both 2023 matches took place in the United States.
The home player has triumphed on both occasions, but the Brit hopes to end that losing run on the hard courts in Florida to advance to the second round.
However, Boulter enters this match-up ranked higher than the American for the first time, highlighting her consistency over the past two years, earning a ranking of No. 35 in the world, compared to No. 142 in Austin and No. 62 at the US Open in 2023.
We say: Boulter to win in three sets
This one is hard to call, given Boulter's losing record in this head-to-head and Stearns's 0-3 record entering the fourth WTA 1000 event of 2025.
The Brit, whose last competitive match ended somewhat positively against Rybakina, is expected to snap that 0-2 record against her American opponent to set up a second-round contest with Mertens.
