American hopeful Sebastian Korda will face hot-blooded Italian Fabio Fognini for a spot in the Miami third round on Saturday. Meanwhile, an in-form Lorenzo Musetti will battle a hopelessly out-of-form Benoit Paire.
(10) Fabio Fognini vs. Sebastian Korda
American tennis has a bright young star in Sebastian Korda. The 20-year-old seems to have the right combination of talent and likability required to truly make a mark in the sport. He is ranked a career-high No. 87 in the world and heads into the upcoming spring clay-court swing with a decent chance at moving further up the rankings.
Italian veteran Fabio Fognini has carved out a career of often wild inconsistency. The Italian had a banner 2019 season, the highlight of which was in Monte-Carlo–where he gave Rafael Nadal an absolute thrashing en route to the title. Then in 2020 he barely managed to string together consecutive match wins. It’s been a mixed bag in 2021. He made the round of 16 at the Australian Open but hasn’t made much noise otherwise.
There is a wide ranking disparity between Fognini and Korda, but the American may have a decent chance at the upset. He is playing at home, with his family in the crowd cheering him on, and Fognini went down meekly in Acapulco last week.
Cheryl pick: Korda in 3
Ricky pick: Korda in 2
Lorenzo Musetti vs. (23) Benoit Paire
Lorenzo Musetti is ranked No. 94 in the world, but don’t let that fool you. The Italian is properly on fire. He came up through qualies in Acapulco last week and then picked off seed after seed to earn a spot in the semifinals, where he was dispatched by Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Conversely, Frenchman Benoit Paire’s ranking is also deceptive. The world No. 33 has barely won a match all year–literally. He is 1-7 on the season and has not yet won a match in Miami this week, either, having earned a bye in the first round. Given those details, it’s difficult to term a potential Musetti win as an upset–which it would only be on paper.
Following his run in Acapulco, Musetti is undoubtedly tired or at least getting there, but given Paire’s miserable form so far it won’t matter for this match. Expect Musetti to race through the match to earn his spot in the third round.
Cheryl pick: Musetti in 2
Ricky pick: Musetti in 2
You never know with Paire, but I’ll go go w/Mtti in 2; and Korda _ Fog very tough to predict….I hope Korda in 3.