Is an encore of the thrilling Indian Wells final between Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro in the cards for the Miami Open? Given Federer’s consistently outstanding form, Del Potro’s relative home-court advantage in Miami, and the state of the rest of the tour, it is without question a possibility.
If the Argentine is fatigued, however, there could be an opening in the bottom half of the draw for the likes of Kei Nishikori, Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, and Hyeon Chung. Just as they were in Indian Wells, Del Potro, Djokovic, and Nishikori all find themselves in the same section of the draw. The world No. 6, who saved three champion points to beat Federer and capture his first-ever Masters 1000 title last weekend, could face Nishikori in the third round and Djokovic in the last 16.
Federer should have an easier road at the top of the bracket. The 36-year-old Swiss opens with Thanasi Kokkinakis on Saturday before potentially running into Fernando Verdasco in the last 32 and either Kevin Anderson or Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.
Miami Open
Where: Key Biscayne, Fla.
Surface: Hard
Points: 1000
Prize money: $7,972,535
Top seed: Roger Federer
Defending champion: Roger Federer
Hot: Roger Federer, Juan Martin Del Potro, Kevin Anderson, Roberto Bautista Agut, Fabio Fognini, Diego Schwartzman, Andrey Rublev, Borna Coric, Alex De Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Daniil Medvedev
Cold: Alexander Zverev, Jack Sock, Novak Djokovic, Pablo Carreno Busta, John Isner, Kei Nishikori, Jeremy Chardy
Quarterfinal predictions: Roger Federer over Kevin Anderson, Borna Coric over Fabio Fognini, Grigor Dimitrov over Kei Nishikori, and Hyeon Chung over Andrey Rublev
Semifinals: Federer over Coric and Dimitrov over Chung
Final: Federer over Dimitrov
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