Among the packed line-up for Day 3 of the ATP Miami Open, 2023 runner-up Jannik Sinner and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud will be taking the court. The Norwegian faces Luca Van Assche, while the Australian Open champion will test himself against a fellow Italian, Andrea Vavassori. Who do you think will prevail?
ATP Miami Day 3 Predictions
Sebastian Baez vs Dominik Koepfer
Head-to-head: First meeting
Sebastian Baez was the best player of the Golden Swing by a country mile and even found himself in the Top 5 of the ATP Race after February. The question was always whether he could translate that form to conditions that were slightly less favorable. So far it doesn’t look like he will. Taylor Fritz beat him in Indian Wells just as brutally as he did a year earlier and Dominik Koepfer is, at least on a general level, just a much better hard-courter than Baez.
Prediction: Koepfer in 2
Tallon Griekspoor vs Alex Michelsen
Head-to-head: First meeting
Tallon Griekspoor has been fighting his way to many wins this year, but has he actually found the same quality as at the start of the 2023 season? Not really, although he’s getting there. Meanwhile Alex Michelsen is starting to be perceived as one of the next American players to potentially have a breakout run. It was a smart match the 19-year-old played against Lukas Klein and Griekspoor while tough, isn’t that much of a step up.
Prediction: Michelsen in 3
Casper Ruud vs Luca Van Assche
Head-to-head: First meeting
Casper Ruud will be gutted with some of his losses recently, but after all two finals and a quarterfinal at Indian Wells is still a massive achievement. The 2022 runner-up at this event is kicking off his campaign against the 19-year-old Luca Van Assche, who has been struggling to make long-term impact on the ATP Tour. Getting this done would be the biggest win of the Frenchman’s career, but it’s kinda hard to say what exactly he can do on the court that would make Ruud uncomfortable.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Andrea Vavassori vs Jannik Sinner
Head-to-head: First meeting
Andrea Vavassori played a couple of Top 3 players recently and didn’t look that out of place. But this looks much tougher than pushing the erratic Carlos Alcaraz in Buenos Aires or grinding it out with Daniil Medvedev on clay. Jannik Sinner has just suffered his first loss of the season and will be trying to get back to winning ways here. The Indian Wells defeat shouldn’t derail him at all, this is a good draw and he’ll be back on the horse in no time.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
