Day 8 at the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami will see the conclusion of the quarterfinals, with two Top 10 players facing each other in the afternoon and two of the most in-form players on tour at night. It’s a day that can see the #1 ranking change hands once again as well.
ATP Miami Day 8 Predictions
Carlos Alcaraz vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kecmanovic is having an incredible season with strong results at every big tournament, and he should definitely not be underestimated. However, Alcaraz’s level has been simply out of this world; the way he disposed of Tsitsipas in the previous round was nothing short of impressive. At the tender age of 18, he’s looking like a man destined to win a lot of these Masters and even bigger tournaments. If he keeps that level up it’s hard to see Kecmanovic being able to do anything to stop him. But of course at this age maybe it’s not so realistic to expect Alcaraz to be super consistent from match to match, so there might be an opening for the Serb.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz
Head-to-head: Medvedev 2-1 Hurkacz
All three previous matchups occurred in 2021 and all went to a deciding set. Medvedev might have won two of them, but Hurkacz won arguably the most important one at Wimbledon, right before famously beating Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. It’s very clear Hurkacz causes Medvedev a lot of problems and this is a tournament he clearly enjoys, having won his first and so far only Masters 1000 level title here last year. Medvedev will get to #1 with a win here but it’ll clearly not be an easy task, especially since Hurkacz desperately needs to win in order not to drop out of the top 10. Still, Medvedev has been the best hard court player on tour for a while and starts any match against a non-“Big 3” opponent as a favorite on this surface.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
