Surprise Australian Open semifinalist Aslan Karatsev will try to continue his hot streak when he battles rising American Sebastian Korda on Monday in Miami. Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas and veteran Kei Nishikori are also aiming for a place in round four.
(17) Aslan Karatsev vs. Sebastian Korda
Aslan Karatsev might be the biggest surprise of the 2021 season. The 27-year-old is an unbelievable 14-2 on the year, with an out-of-nowhere run to the semifinals of the Australian Open and the title in Dubai to show for his efforts so far. He had a first-round bye at the Miami Open and breezed through his second-round match against Mikhail Kukushkin.
American Sebastian Korda elected not to go to Australia due to the quarantine restrictions. Instead he played Delray Beach–where he got to the final–and won a Challenger event in Quimper. Since then he has struggled a bit, owing to the fact that he is still ranked 87th in the world and often runs into top players early in the draw.
Karatsev and Korda played in the final round of 2020 French Open qualifying, where Korda prevailed 7-5, 6-2. Of course, that was before Karatsev’s rise and on a surface that doesn’t suit his game. The Russian, with his monster groundstrokes and impressive form, has the edge going into this third-round encounter. Korda’s game is still developing somewhat, as he hasn’t yet dialed in on what eventually could be a big first serve.
Cheryl pick: Karatsev in 2
Ricky pick: Karatsev in 2
(2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (28) Kei Nishikori
World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas is still waiting for his first Grand Slam title. The Greek has a number of semifinal showings in majors, but he has yet to earn the chance to win one. He won the Nitto ATP Finals back in 2019, but he hasn’t won any other Masters 1000 events. He recently made an impressive run to the semis of the Australian Open, where he ran into familiar foe Daniil Medvedev.
Kei Nishikori hasn’t had the greatest start to the season. The popular Japanese veteran has had a few setbacks lately, including elbow surgery in the fall of 2019 and then a positive coronavirus test that kept him out of Cincinnati and the U.S. Open in 2020. He is ranked 39th in the world.
This might be a tricky match for Tsitsipas. The only other time these two players met, Nishikori won–although that was in Tokyo, home turf for the Japanese man. Tsitsipas is certainly in better form, but Nishikori is a tough opponent.
Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 3
Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 2
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