There should be plenty of entertaining tennis to enjoy at the 2021 Miami Open, with a number of ATP and WTA stars set to take to the court. Here are some of the best matches to watch this weekend:
2021 Miami Open Matches To Watch
Karolina Pliskova vs Jessica Pegula
These two players are heavy hitters and it looks like one will try to overpower the other one. Karolina Pliskova has not been playing like her usual self as of late, but her pedigree ensures that she cannot be counted out. She has had previous success in this tournament and will try to find her best game against the American.
However, Jessica Pegula has been playing some great tennis so far. Since making the last eight in Melbourne, Pegula has reached the semifinals at the WTA Qatar Open as well as the quarterfinals in Dubai. Concerningly for Pliskova, Pegula beat her at both tournaments in very convincing fashion. But will it be third time lucky for the Czech in Miami?
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Anna Kalinskaya vs Garbine Muguruza
The Russian is in red hot form coming into this tournament, having won the WTA St Petersburg Trophy last week. She has certainly found some form and will surely be confident in her chances of beating even a player of Garbine Muguruza’s quality. That said, the Spaniard has won seven matches on the bounce and will looking to pick up her 20th win of the season when she steps on to court to face Anna Kalinskaya.
This will be this pair’s first encounter and it looks to have makings of an entertaining match. The Spaniard will be the heavy favorite to win this match, despite Kalinskaya’s recent exploits. But the Russian will not make it easy for her more illustrious opponent. No doubt it will be a tough battle and we will see who comes out on top.
Bianca Andreescu vs Amanda Anisimova
Bianca Andreescu was given a stern examination in her first match at the 2021 Miami Open, but hung tough to beat Tereza Martincova 7-6 6-2. The Canadian, who did not play a competitive tennis match last year due to a series of injuries, will be looking to continue her comeback, having reached the semifinals at the WTA Phillip Island Trophy in February.
However, this looks likely to be a tough match, with Amanda Anisimova coming into the match fresh from defeating Sloane Stephens in straight sets in the second round. The American missed the start of the season in Abu Dhabi and Melbourne after testing positive for Covid-19, but she has played some fine tennis since returning to the WTA Tour in Dubai. This will certainly be one of the matches to watch.
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Felix Auger Aliassime vs John Isner
The young Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime has been playing well in the early weeks of the season and arrived at the 2021 Miami Open having reached the quarterfinals in Acapulco. He maintained his good form by defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets and will be looking to claim another big win here.
John Isner defeated Mackenzie McDonald in three sets, a much-needed win for the big-serving American. He also beat Auger-Aliassime in this pair’s only previous meeting, which came back in 2019 in the semifinals at this very tournament. However, the Canadian has unquestionably improved since. It will be interesting to see if he can turn the tables on Isner and his powerful serve this time around.
Jannik Sinner vs Karen Khachanov
Jannik Sinner and Karen Khachanov have met twice in the past and their head-to-head is currently tied at one-win apiece. Who will get ahead in the rivalry here in what looks likely to be another close match. When they met earlier this year at the ATP Adelaide International, the match went to the wire. But it was the young Italian who emerged victorious, beating Khachanov in a third-set tiebreak in the semifinals.
Khachanov will surely be looking for revenge here. Both men won their first match easily, with Sinner dismissing Hugo Gaston and Khachanov beating Yannick Hanfmann. Sinner has proved that he can play against the best, whilst Khachanov will look to take charge in this match and dictate from the beginning. This should be an excellent match.
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Daniil Medvedev vs Alexei Popyrin
The heavy favorite to win this tournament, Daniil Medvedev, made an assured start to his campaign at the 2021 Miami Open, thrashing Lu Yen-hsun in his opener. The Russian, who reached the Australian Open final earlier this season, will not find the Big Three or Dominic Thiem in his way, whilst Alexander Zverev made an early exit to the tournament.
Alexei Popyrin, meanwhile, looks to be enjoying himself out on court at the moment and is in the best form of his career. He won the ATP Singapore Tennis Open last month, defeating Alexander Bublik in the final. But this will be a tough test for the Australian as he has yet to defeat the Russian in their two previous matches.
Cameron Norrie vs Taylor Fritz
The British player comes into this match having produced a big upset in the second round by defeating former-world #3 Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. He looked great in that match and will now try to record another upset when he takes on Taylor Fritz.
The American looked sharp in his opener, beating his countryman Marcos Giron comfortably in his first match of the tournament. He also had a good run at the ATP Qatar Open, where he reached the semifinals. But although Fritz is perhaps the favourite, it is Norrie who leads their head-to-head, having won three of their previous five encounters. Both players will surely feel they have a chance of making a deep run if they can get through this match.
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