Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych are going up against unseeded opponents in a surprising Miami quarterfinal lineup on Wednesday. They are set for respective meetings with Dominic Thiem and Juan Monaco.
Dominic Thiem vs. (3) Andy Murray
Murray and Thiem will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they collide in the Miami Open quarterfinals on Wednesday. Their only previous encounter came early last year in Rotterdam, where Murray prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. But it was Thiem who really made his announcement on tour at that event. The Austrian qualified for the main draw, picked up an ATP-level win outside of Austria for the second time in his career (d. Jarkko Nieminen), then pushed Murray to three sets. Now 51st in the world, Thiem is heating up after a slow start to 2015 with victories in Miami over Diego Schwartzman, Feliciano Lopez, Jack Sock, and Adrian Mannarino.
Also playing his most consistent tennis of the season right now, Murray was a borderline disaster in Rotterdam and Dubai but has found the range in March. The fourth-ranked Scot reached the Indian Wells semis and booked his spot in the Miami quarters by taking out Donald Young, Santiago Giraldo, and Kevin Anderson–dropping one set to Anderson in the process. This is Murray’s fourth consecutive trip to the last eight (or beyond) in Miami, so he is extremely comfortable at this tournament. One of the best movers in tennis, the third seed should be able to use his defense to withstand Thiem’s power and end the talented up-and-comer’s run.
Pick: Murray in 2
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Tomas Berdych vs. Juan Monaco
A quarterfinal rematch of Berdych vs. Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open (won by Berdych in straight sets) seemed to be in the cards when the Miami draw was revealed. Instead, it is Monaco who benefited from Nadal’s third-round exit at the hands of Fernando Verdasco. The 46th-ranked Argentine opened with wins over Ruben Bemelmans, Ernests Gulbis, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez before cruising past Verdasco 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday. On fire following an 0-4 start to the year, Monaco also reached the quarters in Rio de Janeiro, the title match in Buenos Aires, and the third round at the Indian Wells Masters.
This, of course, is where the 31-year-old’s favorable draw ends. Monaco is 0-7 lifetime against Berdych (0-6 at the ATP level), including 0-3 on hard courts. They have not faced each other since a 2012 Davis Cup clash on the clay courts of Argentina, where Berdych came out on top 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. The ninth-ranked Czech saved four match points to beat Bernard Tomic earlier this fortnight but has otherwise eased past Hyeon Chung and Gael Monfils (via second-set retirement). On clay this matchup could be competitive, but Berdych should have little trouble extending his domination of Monaco.
Pick: Berdych in 2
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