Miami R2 previews and predictions: Sinner vs. Ruusuvuori, Zverev vs. Coric

Jannik Sinner finished runner-up at the 2021 Miami Masters and he will begin his quest for a return trip to the final when he faces Emil Ruusuvuori on Friday. Alexander Zverev is kicking off his campaign against Borna Coric.

Emil Ruusuvuori vs. (9) Jannik Sinner

Sinner and Ruusuvuori will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the third time at the ATP level when they meet in round two of the Miami Open on Friday. Ruusuvuori won 6-3, 6-4 at the 2020 Bendigo Challenger, but Sinner dominated each of their main-tour encounters last season; 6-3, 6-2 at this same Miami event and 6-2, 6-4 in Washington, D.C.

After beating Ruusuvuori in the last 32, Sinner went all the way to the Miami title match–losing to Hubert Hurkacz. The 11th-ranked Italian may not be in his absolute best form right now, but he has advanced at least two rounds in all three of his tournaments this year. With a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Maxime Cressy on Wednesday, Ruusuvuori has now won at least one match in seven of eight events in 2022 (the only exception is a five-set loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Australian Open first round). However, the 71st-ranked Finn owns just a single win over a top 75 opponent this season and none over anyone in the top 40. Sinner should once again be too good for him.

Pick: Sinner in 2

(PR) Borna Coric vs. (2) Alexander Zverev

Coric missed exactly one year because of a shoulder injury. Prior to Indian Wells, the 25-year-old Croat last played at the 2021 Rotterdam event in the first week of March. Coric obviously did not make the mistake of rushing back and returning too soon, as early indications suggest that he is healthy and competitive. The former world No. 12 lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5 in the third in Indian Wells and then got over the hump with a 6-4, 7-5 defeat of Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday in Miami.

Up next for Coric is a sixth career encounter with Zverev, who trails the head-to-head series 3-2. They have split four previous hard-court contests at two wins apiece and Zverev took their only previous Miami meeting 6-4, 6-4 in 2018. In ATP events this year (Davis Cup not included), the fourth-ranked German is a modest 9-4–including a 4-3 record in his last seven matches following an immediate exit from Indian Wells at the hands of Tommy Paul. Asking for an upset is probably too much in Coric’s third match back, but all signs point to this one being competitive.

Pick: Zverev in 3