The first day of play in Miami will take place on the outside courts, as the stadium isn’t ready due to recent torrential rain. Grigor Dimitrov will be in action against Raphael Collignon; American Jenson Brooksby will face Zizou Bergs.
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Raphael Collignon
Belgian 24-year-old Raphael Collignon is playing well right now. He splits his time between the Challenger circuit and the main tour. He won the Challenger event in Pau a few weeks ago and made his way to the quarters in Brisbane at the start of the season.
That he kicks off his Miami campaign against Grigor Dimitrov is probably luckier than it sounds. The Bulgarian world No. 44 has limped through the first 3 months of the season, with two total wins and five losses to show for his efforts. Miami has historically been one of Dimitrov’s better events; he was a 2025 semifinalist and 2024 finalist at Hard Rock Stadium. Collignon has a legitimate shot at the upset. Dimitrov hasn’t been the same since the pectoral tear he sustained at Wimbledon last summer while leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner two sets to love.
Cheryl pick: Collignon in 3
Ricky pick: Collignon in 3
Jenson Brooksby vs. Zizou Bergs
Jenson Brooksby has endured a mostly rough start to 2026. The 25-year-old is 4-6 on the season so far, although he has shown some improvement in the last few weeks and managed to win a match in Indian Wells over Alexei Popyrin. Notably, Brooksby has already played Wednesday opponent Zizou Bergs last month in Dubai. The American won that match in routine straight sets.
Bergs is ranked No. 45 in the world, just a few spots off Brooksby’s No. 42. The Belgian played out of his mind to kick off the season at the United Cup, helping his country reach the semifinals — but he has done little since. With Brooksby playing at home and with the confidence of an easy win just a few weeks ago, look for him to advance.
Cheryl pick: Brooksby in 2
Ricky pick: Brooksby in 2
WWW?
Collignon vs Dimitrov is one of those intriguing matchups I’d watch start to finish if it were on public TV. I did catch the Brisbane match. Should be fun to watch. I’ll also never forget Raphael Collignon beating Alex de Minaur basically one-legged at Davis Cup last year. Or Dimitrov ripping his pectoral while leading Sinner. I hope Dimitrov heals up properly but our Thanasi Kokkinakis had surgery to that area and sadly it didn’t stand up to the test for him earlier this year. Muscles are hard to repair.
Dimitrov in 3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
Bergs in 3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Dimitrov in three 76 46 75
Brooksby in two 75 64
Results: Collignon 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(6) and Bergs 7-5, 6-2.