Day 1 of the ATP Miami Open will signal the first main draw play of a Masters 1000 event this season. It’s a 96-player draw, so we get a few days of players battling it out to face a seed in the Round of 64. Who will advance on Wednesday? We look at every match on the day. Four matches are in this article, and we have three more articles with the rest of the matches. One article features Carlos Alcaraz vs Emil Ruusuvuori, the second headlines Cameron Norrie vs Yoshihito Nishioka, and the third features Frances Tiafoe vs Stefano Travaglia.
ATP Miami Day 1 Predictions
Marcos Giron vs Tommy Paul
This is a fascinating matchup as it is a contrast in career paths. Seven years ago, Marcos Giron won the NCAA singles title. The next year, Tommy Paul decided to forgo college and turned pro. Meanwhile, both currently sit around their career high rankings, and neither has yet to crack the Top 50. Paul has more talent, but Giron has more experience and is more consistent. That should make the difference.
Prediction: Giron in 3
Lloyd Harris vs Emilio Nava
Nava is a 19-year-old American who has never cracked the Top 500, though he will this week after successfully qualifying for the main draw. He is an exciting young talent, and should quickly surpass his cousin Ernesto Escobedo. Unfortunately for him, Harris is just playing too well right now for Nava to make this a competitive match. The South African is coming off a runner-up showing in Dubai, and as long as he is acclimated from the trip he should cruise.
Prediction: Harris in 2
Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs Pedro Sousa
This should be a fun match because anything can happen. Both players are talented, neither is particularly consistent, and both are prone to stretches of excellent or poor play. On a hard court the tendencies lean towards Herbert, but this can go either way.
Prediction: Herbert in 3
Mackenzie McDonald vs Vasek Pospisil
I really like McDonald’s game. I’ve enjoyed watching him play since he qualified for Cincinnati almost a decade ago, and I enjoyed his progress through the NCAA ranks. Unfortunately, though, he hasn’t quite turned into a strong player on Tour yet. It’s coming, though. The American has a solid baseline game and is constantly improving. He’s coming off the back of an impressive Australian Open run right now. Pospisil was playing very well at the end of 2020, but he seems to have cooled off a bit this season. I think McDonald can win this.
Prediction: McDonald in 3
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