Day three at the ATP Miami Open should see plenty of entertaining action. There are 16 second-round matches on the schedule and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all of them. That includes Daniil Medvedev vs Lu Yen-hsun, Alexander Zverev vs Emil Ruusuvuori and Lloyd Harris vs Roberto Bautista Agut. But who will reach the third round?
ATP Miami Open Day Three Predictions
Ernesto Escobedo vs Dusan Lajovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Dusan Lajovic arrives at the ATP Miami Open having made a solid start to the year. The Serbian reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, beating Sergiy Stahkovsky, Alexander Bublik and Pedro Martinez to get there, and he has since reached the last 16 in Rotterdam and Dubai. He will now surely be targeting a deep run in Miami, although he has not enjoyed a great deal of success in the Sunshine State, where he has never been beyond the third round.
Ernesto Escobedo, meanwhile, endured a frustrating spell on the clay courts of South America. He twice reached the final round of qualifying, in Cordoba and Buenos Aires, but failed to reach the main draw. But he snapped that streak in Miami, beating Maxime Cressy and Brandon Nakashima in the qualifying, before getting the better of Pablo Lorenzi in the first round. But Escobedo has struggled to make an impact at tour-level and, whilst this may be close, Lajovic’s quality should give him the edge.
Prediction: Lajovic in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Head-to-head: Auger-Aliassime 1-1 Herbert
If their previous two encounters are anything to go by, this should be some match. It certainly feels like an important one for Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian young gun has made a very fine start to the year, reaching the final at the ATP Great Ocean Road Open, as well as the fourth round at the Australian Open and the quarterfinals in Acapulco, although he has also suffered some disappointing defeats. Pierre-Hugues Herbert has not played quite so well, but he did reach the final in Marseille.
Last season, when he played Auger-Aliassime, the Frenchman gave his opponent real problems, beating him in Montpellier and forcing him to a third-set tiebreak in Marseille. His accurate serving and soft hands at the net should once again ask serious questions of Auger-Aliassime. However, the conditions in Miami are slower than those found on the indoor hard courts of France. That should limit the efficacy of Herbert’s net-rushing approach and hand Auger-Aliassime a decisive advantage.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Alexander Bublik vs Laslo Djere
Head-to-head: first meeting
This looks to have the makings of a close contest. Bublik has not quite been at his inventive best so far this season, although he did reach the final at the ATP Singapore Tennis Open, but his powerful serve and soft hands ensure he can always be a threat. Laslo Djere has also been in relatively indifferent form, with the highlight of the Serbian’s season so far a run to the quarterfinals in Buenos Aires. But he did impress in beating Jiri Vesely 6-3 5-7 6-1 in the first round at the ATP Miami Open.
Surprisingly enough, this will be the first meeting between this pair at any level in professional tennis, but it should prove to be a watchable match thanks to the clash of styles between Bublik and Djere. It is the Kazakh who will start as the favourite, however. Although the slow courts in Miami do not always favour players who rely on their touch, Bublik has formidable power to back up his feel shots. Against the more one-dimensional Djere, that should be enough to see him into the third round.
Prediction: Bublik in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Dan Evans vs Frances Tiafoe
Head-to-head: Evans 3-1 Tiafoe
British #1 Dan Evans made an excellent start to the season, storming to the title at the ATP Great Ocean Road Open without losing a set. But he has rather lost his way since, winning just one match in the three tournaments he has played. That is a disappointing return for a player of his talents, even if he has faced some tough draws. But he will surely view this match as a good opportunity to put that right, particularly because he has beaten Tiafoe in three of their four previous meetings.
That being said, the American has been playing some good tennis lately. He took a set off Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and, having beaten Stefano Travaglia in his opener in Miami, Tiafoe has now reached the second round or better at six of the seven events he has played this year. Still, it is hard to look past that head-to-head. If Evans can bring his forehand into play regularly, and keep Tiafoe’s relatively quiet through adept use of his sliced backhand, expect the 19th seed to advance.
Prediction: Evans in 3
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
