Other than Juan Martin Del Potro, nobody is enjoying a more productive Sunshine Double than Borna Coric. The Indian Wells semifinalist will face Alexander Zverev in the Miami quarters on Thursday, while Kevin Anderson collides with Pablo Carreno Busta.
(4) Alexander Zverev vs. (27) Borna Coric
Zverev and Coric will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they clash in the Miami Open quarterfinals on Thursday. This rivalry between two potential future greats has been a disastrous one in its early stages for Zverev, who lost 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(5) at the 2015 Cincinnati Masters and 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 7-6(4) in the second round of last summer’s U.S. Open. The 20-year-old German has admitted that the latter result was one of the worst and most painful setbacks of his young career. As the favorite in what was a wide-open bottom half of the U.S. Open draw, Zverev had a massive opportunity in front of him but instead suffered yet another Grand Slam disappointment.
The world No. 5 never recovered from that loss in 2017, slumping the rest of the way to the tune of a 9-9 record in his last 18 matches. Zverev, however, is a solid 11-4 this season with a semifinal showing in Acapulco and Miami victories over Daniil Medvedev, David Ferrer, and Nick Kyrgios. Still, he is nowhere near as hot as Coric right now. The 36th-ranked Croat boasts a 14-4 record in 2018, which includes quarterfinal performances in Doha and Dubai, a semifinal run in Indian Wells, and three-set wins this fortnight a the expense of Leonardo Mayer, Jack Sock, and Denis Shapovalov. A third-round finisher in Miami last spring (upset Dominic Thiem, fell to Adrian Mannarino in a third-set tiebreaker), Coric likes these conditions and should maintain momentum by once again being too rock-solid from the baseline and putting too many balls back in play for Zverev’s liking.
Pick: Coric in 3
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(16) Pablo Carreno Busta vs. (6) Kevin Anderson
Anderson vs. Carreno Busta is also a rematch of a 2017 U.S. Open showdown–a shocking semifinal matchup won by Anderson 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. The 6’8” South African is a dominant 4-0 in the head-to-head series, including 3-0 on hard courts following a recent 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) success in the Indian Wells fourth round. Anderson has been without question one of the tour’s best players in 2018, with a 17-4 recorded that is highlighted by a title in New York, runner-up showings in Pune and Acapulco, and a quarterfinal finish in Indian Wells (lost to Coric in a third-set tiebreaker). The world No. 8 has remained on track in Miami thanks to defeats of Nikoloz Basilashvili, Karen Khachanov, and Frances Tiafoe.
Reaching the quarterfinals is already a much-needed strong result for Carreno Busta, who–like Anderson–struggled after the U.S. Open to throw away a spot in the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals (he ended up playing two matches in London as a replacement for Rafael Nadal). The 19th-ranked Spaniard also started slow in 2018 aside from a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open, but he has picked up the pace in Miami by taking out Denis Istomin, Steve Johnson, and Fernando Verdasco all in easy straight sets. In what is almost certain to be another competitive contest, Anderson’s superior ability to win free points with big serving is likely to make the difference in the pressure-packed moments.
Pick: Anderson in 3
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