David Nalbandian and Jarkko Nieminen will take to center court on Thursday in Miami. A couple of American wild cards are also looking for places in the second round.
David Nalbandian vs. Jarkko Nieminen
Nieminen and Nalbandian will be squaring off for the 13th time in their careers when they meet in round one of the Sony Open on Friday. Nalbandian leads the head-to-head series 8-4, including 6-4 on hard courts. The Argentine has won three in a row (he has not lost to Nieminen since 2007), including when he led by a set and a break at the 2012 Australian Open before the Finn retired.
Both competitors are still going strong in their 30s. Nalbandian, 31, is mired down at No. 124 in the world in part due to injuries and also because his ranking points from last summer’s Queen’s Club final were voided due to disqualification. The former Wimbledon runner-up reached the Sao Paulo final last month (lost to Rafael Nadal) and is coming off a second-round Indian Wells setback to Jerzy Janowicz. Nieminen, also 31, already owns 11 victories for the year and he has kept himself in the Top 50 as a result of his efforts. The world No. 49 already has three quarterfinal appearances (including one semifinal) and he beat Igor Sijsling and Fernando Verdasco(6-1, 6-0) in Indian Wells before succumbing to Kevin Anderson.
A slight edge in current form goes to Nieminen, but Nalbandian is finding his game in 2013 after missing the Australian swing and he will have raucous crowd support from the Argentinian contingent in Miami. A relatively slow surface will also help Nalbandian’s efforts.
Pick: Nalbandian in 3
(WC) Rhyne Williams vs. Santiago Giraldo
Williams and Giraldo will be meeting for the first time in their careers when they do battle in round one of the Sony Open on Thursday. Giraldo is the far more experienced player, having compiled 84 ATP match wins to go along with a career-high ranking of 39th in the world. This season, though, the 90th-ranked Colombian is a mere 4-7 and he has suffered five first-round losses (including at a Challenger event).
Meanwhile, Williams will be looking for just his second career ATP-level match victory. That is not to say, however, that the 21-year-old is struggling. Quite the contrary. Williams won a Challenger title earlier this year in Dallas before qualifying in Memphis, where he beat Steve Johnson before succumbing to Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets. Even though Williams is an American, Giraldo will have rabid fan support from the Colombians. Still, Williams has to be given the edge based on current form.
Pick: Williams in 3
Thomaz Bellucci vs. (WC) Christian Harrison
Harrison will also look to benefit from a main-draw wild card as he goes up against Bellucci for the first time. Ryan Harrison’s younger brother has never played an ATP-level singles match, but he registers at 377th thanks to some success at Futures (already has one title and one runner-up in 2013) and Challengers. The 18-year-old, who took a set off Ernests Gulbis during Indian Wells qualifying, reached the U.S. Open doubles quarterfinals last summer with his brother.
Bellucci has been dismal this season aside from a five-set Davis Cup win over John Isner–a result that does not even look so good on paper at the moment. Despite playing several matches on his preferred clay-court surface, the 40th-ranked Brazlian has lost five in a row dating back to the Sao Paulo second round. Bellucci should get back on track against an inexperienced opponent, but this will likely go three sets and an upset would not come as a shock.
Pick: Bellucci in 3
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