Miami R2 previews and predictions: Federer vs. Del Potro, Simon vs. Monaco

A blockbuster showdown between Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro is set for Friday in Miami. Second-round action also features fellow veterans Gilles Simon and Juan Monaco.

(3) Roger Federer vs. (PR) Juan Martin Del Potro

Federer and Del Potro will be squaring off for the 21st time in their careers and for the first time since 2013 when they meet again in round two of the Miami Open on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 15-5 in favor of Federer mainly because he dominated the formative years of the rivalry. Starting in the summer of 2012, however, the matchup developed into arguably the most intriguing on tour. Dating back to the French Open four seasons ago, six consecutive showdowns between Federer and Del Potro have progressed to final sets–including Federer’s comeback from two sets down at Roland Garros and his 19-17 in the third set triumph at the London Olympics less than three months later. Del Potro then reeled off three consecutive victories before Federer prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at the 2013 World Tour Finals.

The drought in the rivalry, of course, has come as a result of Del Potro’s inactivity due to a recurring left-wrist injury. The 2009 U.S. Open champion began his latest comeback earlier this season in Delray Beach, where he cruised to three straight-victories before bowing out at the hands of eventual champion Sam Querrey. Del Potro has since recorded wins over Tim Smyczek (Indian Wells) and Guido Pella (Wednesday night in Miami) in addition to a setback against Tomas Berdych. Making a comeback of his own, Federer missed all of February and the BNP Paribas Open because of a minor knee injury. The 34-year-old Swiss is an abbreviated 8-2 for his 2016 campaign. Del Potro should be able to make this competitive, but losses to Querrey and Berdych suggest that he is not quite ready for tough competition against opponents who are capable of dictating play and exploiting his backhand.

Pick: Federer in 2

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Juan Monaco vs. (18) Gilles Simon

Another injury-plagued Argentine (also the wrist) will be in action when Monaco takes the court for his second match of the fortnight on Friday. The 31-year-old found himself on thin ice during his opener when he trailed Ivan Dodig 6-3, 3-1, but the Croat promptly lost 10 consecutive games and retired while trailing 5-o in the third. Monaco has slipped to No. 108 in the rankings due to inactivity and he is a modest 2-3 for the season.

Up next for Monaco is a seventh career meeting with Simon. The head-to-head series stands at 3-3, including 1-1 on hard courts (both indoors). They two veterans have faced each other only once since 2011 and on no occasions since 2013. Simon registers at a respectable 19th in the world but his year has been disappointing with an even 6-6 record. The Frenchman has not won back-to-back matches since the Australian Open and he is 3-5 dating back to his error-fest against Novak Djokovic in Melbourne. Simon should, though, get back on track against an opponent who is still lacking match practice.

Pick: Simon in 3

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