Miami QF previews and predictions: Federer vs. Berdych, Kyrgios vs. Zverev

Roger Federer will continue his Miami campaign and try to maintain his hot streak when he faces Tomas Berdych during quarterfinal action on Thursday. Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev are also one step away from the semis.

(4) Roger Federer vs. (10) Tomas Berdych

Federer and Berdych will be squaring off for the 24th time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Miami Open semifinals on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 17-6 in favor of Federer, who has won six in a row at Berdych’s expense since losing two straight to the Czech in 2012 (U.S. Open) and 2013 (Dubai). The 35-year-old Swiss has also taken 14 sets in succession against Berdych while needing a tiebreaker in only one of those 14. They most recently collided at the Australian Open two months ago, when Federer cruised through a third-round affair 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

Based on how well Federer is playing right now, there is no reason to think the tide will suddenly turn. The 18-time Grand Slam champion triumphed Down Under and also captured the Indian Wells title. He is an amazing 16-1 this season following straight-set victories in Miami over Frances Tiafoe, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Roberto Bautista Agut. Berdych, on the other hand, needed a strong result this fortnight in the worst way. The 31-year-old had been just 10-5 in 2017 with no final appearances and he has plunged to No. 14 in the world. He arguably hit a low point in Indian Wells, where he squandered a 6-1, 6-2 advantage against Yoshihito Nishioka in the third round and lost in three sets. So far in Miami, however, Berdych has advanced with straight-set defeats of Andrey Rublev, Gilles Muller, and Adrian Mannarino. A steep step up in competition should prove to be the 10th seed’s ouster.

Pick: Federer in 2 with no tiebreakers

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(16) Alexander Zverev vs. (12) Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios and Zverev will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time in as many tournaments when they meet again on Thursday. The two friends and occasional doubles partners just faced each other in Indian Wells, where Kyrgios cruised through a a third-round showdown 6-3, 6-4. The 16th-ranked Australian still has not lost since then, as his Indian Wells exit came via a quarterfinal walkover that he gave Federer because of illness. Kyrgios is 13-3 this season and 6-0 in his last six matches following Miami wins over Damir Dzumhur (6-4, 6-3), Ivo Karlovic (in a third-set tiebreaker), and David Goffin (7-6(5), 6-3).

Two years Kyrgios’ junior at 19, Zverev is not far behind at No. 20 in the rankings. The German has already captured one title in 2017 on the indoor hard courts of Montpellier and following a relative three-tournament slump he is back on track this fortnight with victories at the expense of Yen-Hsun Lu, John Isner, and No. 1 seed Stan Wawrinka. Zverev saved three match points to outlast Isner 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 7-6(5) and returned to the court one day later for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 upset of Wawrinka. This will undoubtedly be more competitive than what transpired in the California desert, but Kyrgios’ serve and baseline ball-striking at the moment are such that it is almost impossible to bet against him with anyone other than Federer on the other side of the net.

Pick: Kyrgios in 3

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