The Hard Rock Stadium will come alive as the 39th edition of The ATP Miami Masters gets underway Wednesday with a host of players vying to take the title from defending champion Daniil Medvedev. Amongst a very busy first day, we at LWOT look at four of the matches in this piece and other happenings around split between three other articles. Those articles feature Denis Shapovalov vs Luciano Darderi, Jack Draper vs Taro Daniel, and Andy Murray vs Matteo Berrettini. Who will advance to the next round?
ATP Miami Day 1 Predictions
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Juncheng Shang
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Miomir Kecmanovic is the more experienced player and rightly starts as the favorite but Juncheng Shang cannot be underestimated in this match. The Chinese teenager has come out tops against players like Frances Tiafoe, and Jordan Thompson and took a set off Andrey Rublev in Hong Kong so Kecmanovic has to bring his A-game to close this out. That said, the upset bells are up in this one. The Serb hasn’t fared well against left-handed players and there’s reason to believe this won’t be an exception.
Prediction: Shang in 3
Marton Fuscovics vs Max Purcell
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Both players enter Miami on a negative win-loss record for the season but Marton Fuscovics looks like he has found his rhythm, bagging two wins in his last three against a hattrick of losses for Max Purcell. The first meeting between both hard hitters promises to be a fierce battle but the Hungarian is on the up now and should win this.
Prediction: Fuscovics in 3
Zhizhen Zhang vs Martin Damm
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Martin Damm has performed creditably well over the last year but most of them have been on the Challenger circuit. Entering the main draw of a huge tournament as a wildcard will be a great experience for him but defeating a player of Zhang’s level is more improbable than possible.
Prediction: Zhang in 3
Arthur Fils vs Matteo Arnaldi
Head–to–Head: Fils 0 vs 2 Arnaldi
Arthur Fils faces an opponent he hasn’t defeated before and who is just a place below him in the rankings. Both players have been rather inconsistent this season, however Matteo Arnaldi has been involved in tougher draws. He took the first set against Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells before escaping the double bagel by a single game. That being said, he showed flashes of brilliance in that match and if he reproduces it, he should be able to grind a win over an opponent he has his number.
Prediction: Arnaldi in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
