One of the first-round matches at the 2026 Miami Open will feature two American wildcards, Jennifer Brady and Sloane Stephens, going up against each other. Both Americans have proven players on the biggest stages of the WTA Tour, with Stephens a former US Open champ and Brady a former Australian Open runner-up.
Jennifer Brady vs. Sloane Stephens Match Details
Date: March 18, 2026
Tournament:Â Miami Open 2026
Round:Â First Round (Round of 128)
Venue:Â Miami Gardens, Florida, USA
Surface:Â Outdoor hard
Category:Â WTA 1000
Live Telecast:Â Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN, TVA
Brady vs Stephens Head-to-Head
The head-to-head is 0-0, with both players yet to play each other on the Tour.
Brady’s season reached its best moment when the American reached the semifinal of a Challenger event in San Diego, defeating the likes of Katarina Jokic, Kayla Day, and Cadence Brace before losing to Elvina Kalieva. On Tour, she failed to qualify for Austin, and her last event was Indian Wells, where she lost to Antonia Ružić in the first round.
Stephens, on the other hand, started with a first-round loss against Renata Zarazua in the ASB Classic. The former World No.3 had a good qualifying at the Australian Open, winning against the likes of Barbora Palicova, Olivia Gadecki, and Lucia Bronzetti to get in the main draw, but lost to KarolÃna PlÃÅ¡ková in the first round.
She had a first-round exit at Indian Wells as well, losing to Camila Osorio, and her last match was a 0-6, 1-6 loss to Anastasia Zakharova in the first round of a Challenger event in Austin.
Brady vs. Stephens Prediction
Brady has won 57.1 percent of the service games and 30.8 percent of the return games in the 2026 season so far. She has saved 45.5 percent of the break points she has faced on serve, which is under par compared to her 40 percent break point conversion rate.
Stephens, on the other hand, has poorer serving numbers compared to Brady, as she has 45.5 percent of the service games, while having a slightly better number while returning, as she has won 32.4 percent of the return points. She has saved 40 percent of the break points and has a 52.4 percent break point conversion rate.
More:Â Sloane Stephens Slams Hater With Curt Response After Being Trolled for Quick Indian Wells Exit
Both players are yet to win a main-draw match on the Tour this year. With the Miami court being one of the fastest hard courts on the calendar, the player who has the better serve will have the advantage. Brady’s serving numbers are quite a bit ahead of Stephens, giving her the marginal edge in the upcoming match.
Pick: Brady to win in three sets
