Roger Federer survived a scare in his opener and will continue his Miami campaign against Filip Krajinovic on Monday. Reilly Opelka has already made a nice run this fortnight and will face Daniil Medvedev in the third round.
(4) Roger Federer vs. Filip Krajinovic
Federer and Stan Wawrinka figured to complete the head-to-head Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, but Krajinovic had other ideas and staged a comeback win over Wawrinka on Saturday. Thus it will be Federer vs. Krajinovic for the third time in their careers during third-round Miami Open action on Monday. The Swiss leads the head-to-head series 2-0, having prevailed 6-2, 6-1 at the 2018 Indian Wells Masters and 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 this past fall on the indoor hard courts of Basel.
Krajinovic endured an injury-plagued 2018 season but he will back inside the top 100 following this event (currently No. 103). The 27-year-old Serb preceded his 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5) upset of Wawrinka by beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-4. Federer survived his second-round match against Radu Albot 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday evening. Difficult openers are often just what the doctor ordered for 37-year-old, who played well enough against Albot and will likely raise his level now that he has one effort under his belt inside this new stadium.
Pick: Federer in 2
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Reilly Opelka vs. (13) Daniil Medvedev
Opelka, who is 6’11”, went up against 5’7” Diego Schwartzman on Saturday and the result was predictable entertainment. But the match progressed in unexpected fashion, with five breaks of serve–and not a single ace being hit by Opelka–taking place in the first set. The 58th-ranked American seized an early lead and ended up holding off Schwartzman, who was spurred on by an energized Argentine crowd, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Thus continued an outstanding start to 2019 for Opelka, who captured his first career title in New York while beating John Isner for a second time this season in the process.
Next up for the 21-year-old is a second career contest against Medvedev, who won their only previous encounter 6-7(8), 6-3, 7-6(6) at the 2017 Washington, D.C. tournament. Both players have made huge strides since then, but it is Medvedev who has really taken off and now finds himself near the top of the sport. The 15th-ranked Russian won three titles last year, added a fourth to his career this season, and boasts a 16-5 record for his 2019 campaign. He cruised through his Miami opener via a 6-2, 6-1 decision against Adrian Mannarino. A red-hot Medvedev generally handles pace without much trouble and he will likely befuddle Opelka with too much consistency and variety.
Pick: Medvedev in 2
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