All eight round of 16 matches will be played on day seven at the ATP Miami Open 2021, and, as always we here at LWOT will be previewing and predicting every match, including Marin Cilic vs Andrey Rublev. But who will reach the quarterfinals?
ATP Miami Open Day Seven Predictions
Alexander Bublik vs Taylor Fritz
Head-to-head: Bublik 2-0 Fritz
This match has all the ingredients to be a very close contest. Only 12 ranking places separate the two with Taylor Fritz ranked 32nd and Alexander Bublik ranked 42nd. Bublik has won both their previous clashes but their last meeting came more than a year ago and Fritz seems to have upped his game since.
Bublik is as unorthodox as they come but that’s what makes him unplayable at times as he’s more often than not always redlining his game. Fritz has had a good start to 2021 and Miami provides the American the perfect setting to keep doing that. That’ll be easier said than done though as Bublik is playing at a high level too and it’ll be interesting to see whether Fritz changes tactics to counter Bublik. Expect a tough affair with Fritz just coming through on the back of his superior consistency.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
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Hubert Hurkacz vs Milos Raonic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Both men delivered solid performances in their respective round of 32 matches. Hubert Hurkacz was particularly impressive taking out Denis Shapovalov without losing his serve once. The Pole is seeking to re discover the form he showed early in the year when he won the title in Delray Beach.
The above mentioned goal will be very hard to achieve though since he now faces Milos Raonic, a player who has looked very strong this week and is yet to lose his serve over two matches. Ugo Humbert found out what the Canadian is capable of when he faced him in the third round. Expect Hurkacz to make things interesting but the match looks like it’ll be played on Raonic’s terms and that’s something not many can contend with.
Prediction: Raonic in 2
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Roberto Bautista Agut vs John Isner
Head-to-head: Isner 3-1 Bautista Agut
These two last played each other here in Miami a couple of years ago, a match which John Isner, perhaps unsurprisingly, won in two tiebreaks. The American is a tough opponent for anyone in a tiebreak and even at 35 years old, Isner can still go toe to toe with the best.
Roberto Bautista Agut has already lost two final matches in 2021 and his Round of 32 match here was a rusty one by his standards. The Spaniard was broken thrice and that’s something he’ll do well to avoid against a player like Isner. That being said, Bautista Agut is never one to shy away from a fight and expect him to make this match very close but not enough to get him the win.
Prediction: Isner in 3
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Lorenzo Sonego vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Head-to-head: first meeting
This is surely one of the matches of the day. Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a fairly arduous battle with Kei Nishikori in the third round, but the Greek ran away with the third set 6-1 to book his spot in the last 16. Tsitsipas remains one of the favourites for the title here, but will be looking to avoid another long match here as he prepares for the possibility of greater tests later in the week.
Lorenzo Sonego has struggled for consistency this year winning two matches in a row only twice so far. The Italian is very hard to stop once he gets going but at times found it difficult to sustain that level over a whole tournament. He’s beaten his first two opponents in straight sets but none of them were at the level of Tsitsipas. Expect Tsitsipas to stay mighty consistent from the baseline and Sonego to spray errors as he’s asked to make a lot more extra balls.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2
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