Miami R3 previews and predictions: Zverev vs. Isner, Kyrgios vs. Karlovic

Third-round action in Miami on Monday will see two of the most talented up-and-comers in tennis run into two of the tallest players in the sport. It’s Alexander Zverev vs. John Isner and Nick Kyrgios vs. Ivo Karlovic.

(18) John Isner vs. (16) Alexander Zverev

Zverev and Isner will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for a place in round four of the Miami Open on Monday. Their only previous encounter came last fall at the Shanghai Masters, where Zverev cruised 6-4, 6-2. The 20th-ranked German has cooled off just a bit since pushing Rafael Nadal to five sets at the Australian Open and winning the Montpellier title, but he appeared to get back on track by destroying Yen-Hsun Lu 6-0, 6-3 on Saturday.

Isner bounced back from his loss to Zverev by finishing runner-up on the indoor hard courts of Paris, but he has otherwise been stuck in neutral of late. With a modest 6-5 record this season, Isner is now the second-ranked American (No. 23) behind Jack Sock (No. 18). The former University of Georgia star beat Thomaz Bellucci 7-5, 7-6(5) in his Miami opener, but it is his second match in tournaments that has given him tons of problems this year. In four of five previous events, that is the stage at which Isner has bowed out. Based on current form and their recent Shanghai result, more of the same will likely continue.

Pick: Zverev in 3

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(12) Nick Kyrgios vs. (17) Ivo Karlovic

Although Kyrgios’ Indian Wells campaign ended in disappointment (forced out of a scheduled quarterfinal against Roger Federer due to illness), it was still a successful one. In addition to singles wins over Horacio Zeballos, Zverev, and Novak Djokovic, the 21-year-old Australian beat the Bryan brothers in doubles with Nenad Zimonjic. This fortnight is off to a similar start, as Kyrgios is 1-0 in both singles (took care of Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 6-3) and doubles (defeated Pablo Cuevas and Rohan Bopanna with Matt Reid). The world No. 16 is 11-3 this season with semifinal showings in Marseille and Acapulco.

Up next for the Kyrgios on Monday is a third career showdown against Karlovic, who trails the head-to-head series 2-0. The 6’11” Croat went down 7-6(4), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at the 2015 Aussie Open and 7-6(4), 7-6(2) that fall in Kuala Lumpur. Karlovic kicked off this season with a quarterfinal finish in Doha and a third-round performance in Melbourne, but he is suddenly playing like a 38-year-old–which he is. The world No. 21 had lost five matches in a row (four in straight sets) before ending the skid with a 7-6(4), 6-1 defeat of Andrey Kuznetsov on Saturday. A much tougher test in the form of Kyrgios–who is in great form and is an expert at blocking back big serves with short backswings on return–will likely result in another setback.

Pick: Kyrgios in 2

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