Day five will see the commencement of the third round at the ATP Miami Open with eight intriguing matches on the schedule in Florida. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all eight matches, including Casper Ruud vs Alexander Bublik. But who will book their place in the round of 16?
ATP Miami Day 5 Predictions
Francisco Cerundolo vs Gael Monfils
Head-to-head: first meeting
Of the two Cerundolo brothers, Francisco has the better game for hard courts, particularly on the sort of gritty surface found at the ATP Miami Open, mostly due to his huge attacking arsenal. This is likely where his road ends though. Gael Monfils has been in really good form since the beginning of the year and with his playing style, the slow surface is very much to his liking too. The Frenchman scored a win over Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells and hasn’t shown signs of any downtrend yet.
Prediction: Monfils in 2
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Frances Tiafoe vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo
Head-to-head: first meeting
Despite having little to no hard court experience, Juan Manuel Cerundolo was able to secure his spot in the third round at the ATP Miami Open, beating Dusan Lajovic and Kevin Anderson. The conditions in Miami are much slower this year, which helps the Argentinian play something remotely close to his usual style. Frances Tiafoe is yet to find his peak form in 2022, but will be very happy with a hard-fought win against Brandon Nakashima. This is a favorable draw for him to reach the fourth round, but it’s a potential banana skin if he’s still off his game.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
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Pablo Carreno Busta vs Jannik Sinner
Head-to-head: Carreno Busta 1-0 Sinner
Jannik Sinner barely survived Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round, saving three match points as the Finn just couldn’t play his best under pressure. Pablo Carreno Busta outplayed David Goffin to grab just his second win since the Australian Open. With neither quite at the top of their game right now, picking a winner for their Sunday clash is quite challenging. Slow hard courts probably fit their styles equally well, leaving us with a coin toss of a matchup. Sinner struggled with illness at Indian Wells and Carreno Busta’s ability to move the ball around the court with his forehand could tire him out if it gets to a long deciding set again.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 3
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Nick Kyrgios vs Fabio Fognini
Head-to-head: Kyrgios 1-0 Fognini
Just in case someone is still claiming that Nick Kyrgios isn’t, on his day, capable of beating anyone in the world, the Australian seems to have found his focus for the Sunshine Double, bringing his best in absolutely every match so far. Fabio Fognini is also known for struggling with his motivation but clearly isn’t in comparable form. Kyrgios blasted Andrey Rublev off the court in round two and if he’s able to maintain that level, he should advance fairly comfortably.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 2
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