Miami R4 previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Tiafoe, Bautista Agut vs. Isner

Both Daniil Medvedev and Frances Tiafoe are still alive–just barely–in Miami and they will clash during fourth-round action on Tuesday. Roberto Bautista Agut and former champion John Isner are also taking the court.

(1) Daniil Medvedev vs. Frances Tiafoe

Medvedev and Tiafoe will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the Miami Open on Tuesday. All three of their previous main-tour tilts have gone Medvedev’s way, while Tiafoe prevailed back in 2015 during Nice qualifying. The Russian has taken eight of nine sets in their three most recent encounters dating back to 2019, most recently dominating 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 in the fourth round of the 2020 U.S. Open.

Seeded first in Miami as the world No. 2, Medvedev almost crashed out on Sunday. The 25-year-old squandered three match points at 5-3 in the second set against Alexei Popyrin and then cramped late in the third before stumbling to a 7-6(3), 6-7(7), 6-4 victory. If Medvedev is on his second life in South Beach, Tiafoe is on his fourth. The 58th-ranked American came back from a set down in each of his first three matches against Stefano Travaglia, Dan Evans, and Dusan Lajovic. Medvedev has recovered from cramps fine in the past (he went all the way to the 2019 U.S. Open following a second-round scare) and he will likely do the same in Miami. Against this kind of opponent, Tiafoe can’t afford to start slow like he did in rounds one through three.

Pick: Medvedev in 2

Bautista Agut and Isner will be facing each other for the fifth time in their careers and in a second consecutive Miami Open. In the 2019 quarterfinals, Isner got the job done 7-6(1), 7-6(5) on his way to the final. That gave the 6’10” American a 3-1 lead in the head-to-head series, with their first three meetings all requiring a deciding set. Isner’s final appearance two years ago was his second in a row at this Masters 1000 event, having lifted the biggest trophy of his career in 2018. From basically out of nowhere, the world No. 28 is back in fine form in Miami. He opened with a three-set defeat of Mackenzie McDonald before ousting Felix Auger-Aliassime in a pair of tiebreakers.

Following a second-round walkover from Lloyd Harris, Bautista Agut kicked off his fortnight with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Jan-Lennard Struff. The 12th-ranked Spaniard’s 2021 campaign has been inconsistent, but he has heated up with two recent runner-up performances (lost to David Goffin in Montpellier and to Nikoloz Basilashvili in Doha). Despite Isner’s two victories in Miami, he remains rusty and Bautista Agut will likely take advantage from the back of the court.

Pick: Bautista Agut in 3