Roger Federer is back in action after surviving a second-round scare against Radu Albot. Here are some matches to keep an eye on as the second week of the Miami Open gets underway.
Daniil Medvedev vs. Reilly Opelka
H2H- Medvedev leads 1-0
Reilly Opelka has had a nice run so far coming through qualifying and winning two matches. This upcoming match will be his toughest test yet, against a player in Medvedev who’s playing well right now. Like most Opelka matches, this match is going to be decided by a few key points. Medvedev can make his opponents come up with tough shots in big moments, and I don’t think Opelka is ready for that yet. Look for Medvedev to advance to the round of 16. Medvedev in 2
Roger Federer vs. Filip Krajinovic
H2H- Federer leads 2-0
Roger Federer survived an opening round scare against Moldova’s Radu Albot to advance to the round of 32, while Krajinovic built off his impressive run in Indian Wells defeating Stan Wawrinka in a third set tiebreaker. While Federer is vulnerable right now, I don’t think Krajinovic has the game to beat him. Krajinovic has had some extra motivation as of late after former coach Thomas Johansson told him he wasn’t good enough for him, but that won’t be enough to get past the three-time Miami Open champion. Federer in 2
Denis Shapovalov vs. Andrey Rublev
H2H- Rublev leads 1-0
Andrey Rublev picked up his best win of the 2019 season with a straight-set win over Marin Cilic. Even with the discrepancy in ranking, it didn’t come as much of a surprise as Rublev is in good form right now. Both of these nextgen stars will view this as an excellent opportunity to get to the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 event. Shapovalov, as we’ve seen, doesn’t shy away from the big stage, but I feel like Rublev is playing a little better than he is at the moment. This one should be close either way, but I like Rublev’s chances of continuing his run in Miami. Rublev in 3
David Ferrer vs. Frances Tiafoe
H2H- First meeting
Can 36-year-old David Ferrer continue to turn back the clock at the Miami Open? Nobody expected the Spaniard to get past last years finalist Alexander Zverev, but Ferrer played as well as he has in a long to defeat the #3 ranked player in the world. I think Ferrer has to like his chances against Tiafoe. After reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Tiafoe hasn’t been able to build off of his success. Look for Ferrer to continue his run in what might be his last time going this far at a big tournament. Ferrer in 2
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