Juan Martin Del Potro and Lleyton Hewitt will be playing for the first time since the Australian summer when they take the court in Miami on Thursday. They are set for respective meetings with Vasek Pospisil and Thomaz Bellucci.
Vasek Pospisil vs. (PR) Juan Martin Del Potro
Del Potro will be hoping what is already his second comeback of 2015–which begins in round one of the Miami Open on Thursday–lasts longer than his first. After missing almost all of last season due to left-wrist surgery, the 2009 U.S. Open champion returned in Sydney and advanced to the quarterfinals. At less than 100 percent, however, Del Potro required another minor surgery on his wrist and has been sidelined until now.
The former world No. 4 will kick off his Miami campaign against Pospisil, whom he has never faced. Pospisil has been on fire in doubles since last summer, with titles at Wimbledon and last week in Indian Wells–just to name a few. Singles, however, has been slower going for the 60th-ranked Canadian. He has been solid but unspectacular in 2015, with an even record of 7-7. The story in this one is obviously Del Potro and that is who will dictate the outcome. His wrist appears to be in decent shape, but not to the extent that he can hit out on his two-handed backhand anywhere close to 100 percent. Popisil is in strong enough form to hold off an opponent who is not in peak condition–plus he has a considerable edge in match toughness right now.
Pick: Pospisil in 3
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Lleyton Hewitt vs. Thomaz Bellucci
Hewitt will be getting night-session treatment for what is his first match at his last Miami event. The 34-year-old Australian, who has announced plans to retire after next season’s Aussie Open, is winding down his career and has not played since Melbourne–where he endured a tough loss to Benjamin Becker in five sets following a blown two-set advantage. Hewitt is a modest 1-2 on the season and registers outside the top 100 at No. 107 in the rankings.
This will be a first-ever meeting between Hewitt and Bellucci. The 81st-ranked Brazilian is a horrendous 3-9 at the ATP level for his 2015 campaign despite having spent plenty of time on his preferred surface of clay. All three of his wins came en route to the Quito semifinals and since then he is on a whopping eight-match losing streak. Hewitt may be rusty, so to speak, but he is likely to have a huge edge in the mental department given Bellucci’s shaky-at-best confidence.
Pick: Hewitt in 3
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