The conditions at the ATP Miami Open may be causing many to sweat but who is sweating on a place in the next round? On day four, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate. But who will advance and who will fall to defeat?
ATP Miami Open Day Four Predictions
Marton Fucsovics vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Head-to-head: first meeting
Tiebreaks are a high possibility in this match as both men come into this with high service hold percentages. They are both big men and both in decent form too. It is very well known that Kokkinakis has struggled with injury for a long time but is a very talented performer. He is the one with the better hard court stats as well, albeit in a much smaller sample than the Hungarian.
Fucsovics has managed to establish himself as a solid top 50 player now and very few have an easy match against him. This may well be a tight one and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it went all the way to a third-set tiebreak. On this occasion, as Kokkinakis seems to be in good physical condition he is taken to edge this one with his slightly more reliable serve to depend upon being the difference between the two.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 3
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Cristian Garin vs Marin Cilic
Head-to-head: Cilic 1-0 Garin
It would probably surprise casual followers of tennis to find that the seeded player here is in fact the Chilean. Of course, a lot of Garin’s ranking points have been won on his preferred surface of clay but there have been signs that he is ready to improve on the other surfaces too. In the meantime Cilic’s downfall hasn’t shown signs of abating. The 2014 US Open Champion hasn’t reached the final of any event since Queens Club in 2018.
It took three sets for Cilic to dispatch clay-courter Federico Coria in the opening round and Garin is a level or two above that. The Chilean comes into this match full of confidence after winning his home tournament as well, though he has the surface change to deal with. Again, this could be a long match with extended rallies and this could favour Garin’s game style more than Cilic’s. The longer the match goes on, the more it favours the younger man so it is Garin who gets the nod in this match-up.
Prediction: Garin in 3
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Aslan Karatsev vs Mikhail Kukushkin
Head-to-meeting: first meeting
The Karatsev train just keeps on rolling. Since the return of tennis post-lockdown the big Russian has won three titles (two Challenger, one ATP) and made that run to the Australian Open semifinals. The mystery and surprise must be out of the bag now though after that run and his win in Dubai last week.
However, it is unlikely to me that Kukushkin currently possesses the required level to derail Karatsev. Though the Kazakh at his best has an excellent attacking game he hasn’t been seen at his best for some time. This should be a comfortable opener for the Russian who will use his power-packed game to restrict the chances of letting Kukushkin into the match.
Prediction: Karatsev in 2
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Denis Shapovalov vs Ilya Ivashka
Head-to-head: Shapovalov 2-0 Ivashka
2021 is so for proving to be a year in which the talented Canadian gets himself into tournaments but is failing to go all the way. Shapovalov has fallen whenever he has lost a set in a match this season. This could be a worry if this match gets tough as well.
Ivashka, however, is ranked outside the top 100 at the moment and has lost in his two matches against the Canadian so far. Shapovalov’s serve and attacking game is likely to earn him a lot of free points and that could be valuable in the conditions. Expect this one to be a straight sets victory for the sixth seed.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 2
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