We take a look at selected fixtures from the ATP Tours Masters 1000 Series taking place at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens on the 20th of March 2019.
ATP Tour 2019 | Masters 1000 Series | Miami Open
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, USA, Outdoor Hardcourts
Selected Round of 128 Matches – 20th March
Filip Krajinovic 4/10 vs Pierre Hughes Herbert 7/4
This should be a fascinating baseline brawl between two extremely talented but underperforming players. Serbian Filip Krajinovic has often been compared to Andre Agassi, with an uncannily similar two-handed backhand that is his favourite shot. Krajinovic then really burst onto the scene with that remarkable run to the 2017 Paris Masters Final. That Masters 1000 performance really showed his full potential. He then broke into the top 30 last year with his first ATP 500 semi-final in Dubai. But lack of form then led to a shattering sequence of injuries that saw him lose seven months. It has been a long way back but it appears that the Serb is starting to rediscover some form. He reached the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France before beating David Goffin and Danil Medvedev en route to a final 16 showing in Indian Wells.
Pierre Hughes Herbert has the enviable distinction of being a Grand Slam winner in men’s doubles. He and compatriot Nicholas Mahut also claimed the Miami Open title back in 2016. So the Frenchman has some history in this event, though it’s now a new stadium. He has reached three ATP single’s finals in his career, losing all three finals on hardcourts. But crucially, two of those finals have come within the last six months. He lost in last season’s Shenzhen Open Final, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the process. He then started 2019 in fine fashion, reaching the quarterfinals in Qatar. He then had a decent run to the final 32 in Melbourne prior to that 2nd ATP final in six months. He lost in the final of the Open Sud de France, highlighting his increased competitiveness on the single’s circuit.
This will be their first ever meeting, with Krajinovic clearly coming into this match with the better form after his exertions at Indian Wells. I just have a feeling for the Frenchman this week. He looks extremely determined to improve his single’s pedigree and the Serb may prove an ideal opponent for the Frenchman early doors.
Tomas Berdych 2/9 vs Bernard Tomic 3/1
Tomas Berdych meets Bernard Tomic in a contest between highly contrasting personalities. Tomas Berdych has reached the semi-finals of every Slam and has always been known for his ice-cool demeanour on court. He is a two-time Miami semi-finalist, though the switch to the Hard Rock Stadium perhaps makes some of those allusions slightly meaningless now. Berdych missed most of last season with a chronic back injury that threatened to end his career. But he seems to have shaken off most of that discomfort and he has returned to some form in 2019. He started the year in fine fettle, losing in the Qatar Open Final. He then had a strong showing in Melbourne, making it to the final 16. He reached the semi-finals of the Open Sud de France prior to some slightly disappointing showings in Dubai and Indian Wells. But in Bernard Tomic he will be meeting an opponent he knows all too well.
Bernard Tomic is the original bad boy of Aussie tennis. Nick Kyrgios can’t really hold a candle to the exploits of Tomic. Kyrgios seems to have been able to balance the shenanigans with some on-court histrionics. Tomic has never come close to realizing the potential that saw him emerge as such a talented junior. Tomic reached the 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finals and has four titles to his name. But his career has largely been a circus, with him even appearing in an Aussie reality show in 2018, which possibly represents the nadir of his chequered career. But the enigmatic Aussie actually started to show some decent form towards the back end of 2018. He won the inaugural Rafa Nadal Open prior to claiming his 4th ATP title in the Chengdou Open. He beat top seed Fabio Fognini in the final and showed some of that undeniable talent. But his 2019 has been disappointing and this match looks a tough ask for the Aussie.
Tomas Berdych leads the head-to-head 5-0. In actual fact, Tomic has only taken two sets off the Czech in those five matches. That includes a three-set loss to Berdych in the 2015 Miami event. This last meeting was a 2017 victory for Berdych in Stuttgart, which is quite significant as Stuttgart is Tomic’s place of birth. This may not be vintage Berdych, but his greater professionalism and abilities should see him through to an easy straight sets victory at 2/9.
