Andrey Rublev will continue his quest for a first Masters 1000 title against Croatian veteran Marin Cilic on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sebastian Korda looks to add to his upset count at the expense of Diego Schwartzman.
(4) Andrey Rublev vs. Marin Cilic
Andrey Rublev has done a lot of winning in 2021. He was 16-3 coming into this week, and he has added two more wins to his tally so far. The Russian sits at a career-high No. 8 in the world, largely on the strength of his performance in ATP 500 events. He is still looking for his first Masters 1000 title.
He will take on Croatia’s Marin Cilic in the Miami Open fourth round. Cilic has mostly had a dreadful start to the 2021 season. He made the semifinals in Singapore but had a first-round bye, so the semifinal only represents two matches won–and they were his only two wins until Miami.
Cilic is actually playing better this week, but it’s hard to imagine his game holding up under the machine that is Rublev on a relatively slow hard court. This one may be over in a hurry, with Rublev having his way with Cilic.
Cheryl pick: Rublev in 2
Ricky pick: Rublev in 2
(5) Diego Schwartzman vs. Sebastian Korda
American upstart Sebastian Korda had one of the biggest wins of his career on Monday over Australian Open semifinalist Aslan Karatsev. And, honestly, it wasn’t just a win; it was an outright shellacking. Korda gave up just three games to the Russian to breeze into the round of 16. It was a performance that belied the fact that coming into Miami, Korda had won nine matches in his entire professional career on the main tour.
Diego Schwartzman has been a bit out of sorts in 2021. The Argentine snagged the title at his home tournament in Buenos Aires, but the field was fairly benign owing to the continuing issues with COVID around the world. Other than that, his results have been disappointing. In Miami, Schwartzman has dispatched Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama and Adrian Mannarino so far.
This match represents an excellent opportunity for Korda. Schwartzman isn’t in particularly good form, and the 20-year-old is playing in his home state with his family and friends present to cheer him on.
Cheryl pick: Korda in 3
Ricky pick: Schwartzman in 3
Rublev in 2…..Korda in 3.
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