Stan Wawrinka (Grandstand) and Nick Kyrgios (Stadium) will be featured during the night session on Tuesday in Miami. They are set for respective fourth-round matchups with Alexander Zverev and David Goffin.
(1) Stan Wawrinka vs. (16) Alexander Zverev
Wawrinka and Zverev will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they meet in round four of the Miami Open on Tuesday. Their only previous encounter came last fall in the St. Petersburg final, with Zverev capturing the first of his two career ATP titles thanks to a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 triumph. The 20th-ranked German also lifted a winner’s trophy earlier this season on the indoor hard courts of Montpellier, where he won the doubles title, as well, with older brother Mischa. Zverev compiled a mere 1-3 record in his next three tournaments, but he appears to be back on track this fortnight with defeats of Yen-Hsun Lu and John Isner. Against Isner on Monday evening, the 19-year-old saved three match points before prevailing 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 7-6(5) in two hours and 38 minutes.
Still in search of his first title this year, Wawrinka may already have a pair to his credit if not for the current dominance of fellow Swiss Roger Federer. They went head-to-head in both the Australian Open semis and the Indian Wells final, with Federer prevailing on each occasion (in five sets Down Under and 6-4, 7-5 less than two weeks ago). Wawrinka, who is 14-4 in 2017, has cruised so far in Miami with identical 6-3, 6-4 routs of Horacio Zeballos and Malek Jaziri. With top seed in fine form and Zverev coming off an emotionally draining contest against Isner, the tables should turn from what transpired in St. Petersburg.
Pick: Wawrinka in 2
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(12) Nick Kyrgios vs. (8) David Goffin
Goffin and Kyrgios will also be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Tuesday and their only previous collision also came in a final last fall. With the Tokyo title at stake, Kyrgios battled his way to a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory after two hours and one minute. The 21-year-old Australian was similarly tested during third-round action in Miami, where he outlasted Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) on Monday. Kyrgios, who opened with a more routine 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Damir Dzumhur, is 8-1 in his last nine matches and the current hot streak includes upsets of Novak Djokovic in both Acapulco and Indian Wells.
The Grandstand saw Kyrgios and Goffin play back-to-back third-round thrillers, as the 12th-ranked Belgian followed suit by overcoming Diego Schwartzman 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Monday night. Goffin got off to a similarly slow start in his opener against Darian King, trailing 4-0 in the first set before storming back to get the job done 7-5, 6-1. The eighth seed, who was a Miami semifinalist last year, is a stellar 17-6 this season with runner-up performances in Sofia and Rotterdam. Unfortunately for Goffin, his battle with Schwartzman was far more energy sapping than Kyrgios vs. Karlovic. Moreover, Kyrgios was in an impressively calm mental state throughout that competitive contest and he will positively thrive in a night-session atmosphere on the main court.
Pick: Kyrgios in 2
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