Day 1 of the ATP Miami Masters in Key Biscayne, Florida features some blockbuster matches. As always, we are here at LWOT to share our thoughts on all the matches with you. Who do you think will win on the opening day of men’s play in South Florida? We predict every match on the day. With 16 matches, we split them between four articles. The other three articles feature Maxime Cressy vs Emil Ruusuvuori, Richard Gasquet vs Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Nick Kyrgios vs Adrian Mannarino.
ATP Miami Open Day 1 Predictions
Mackenzie McDonald vs Dominik Koepfer
Koepfer is a fine enough player, though quite far removed from his impressive US Open run a few years back. McDonald, meanwhile, hasn’t yet climbed to the ranks of the elite, but the talent is enormous and the game is slowly coming together.
Prediction: McDonald in 2
Roberto Carballes Baena vs David Goffin
There is no end in sight for David Goffin’s slump. He won two matches in last week’s Phoenix Challenger, but he lost a set in each of them to players outside the Top 150. Carballes Baena is well inside the Top 150, and the Spaniard should have no trouble here.
Prediction: Carballes Baena in 2
Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs Dusan Lajovic
Both Lajovic and Miomir Kecmanovic (more so Kecmanovic) have been playing very well since they had to take up Novak Djokovic’s mantle when he was deported from the Australian Open. Cerundolo won a title on clay last year, but his game still needs tons of improvement on hard courts. This should be a rout.
Prediction: Lajovic in 2
Brandon Nakashima vs Soonwoo Kwon
This should be a very fun matchup between two up-and-comers in the game. Kwon started his rise earlier, but Nakashima’s has definitely been faster. At the moment, both are currently playing like solid Top 60-80 players, which is what they both are right now. Kwon might be ranked higher, but the American is a tad more solid at the moment. This could definitely go either way, though.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
