We preview the Masters 1000 Miami Open matches featuring Jannik Sinner and Nick Kyrgios as well as Llyod Harris and Hubert Hurkacz.
2022 ATP Tour
Masters 1000
Miami Open
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 16 Matches- 29th March
Jannik Sinner (9) (7/4) vs Nick Kyrgios (43/100)
Jannik Sinner has been in ultimate grind mode in this year’s Miami Open. He had to save three match points in his opening match against Finn Emil Ruusuvuori. He then came from a set down to beat Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta (saving a further five match points in the process). I think it’s fair to say that Sinner has been living dangerously in Miami this year.
He certainly has an affinity for the Hard Rock Stadium, reaching his maiden ATP 1000 final in last year’s Miami Open. Sinner enjoyed a stellar 2021 campaign, winning four titles and earning a spot in the ATP finals as the first alternate. Though he hasn’t won a title this year, his win-loss record for the season still stands at a highly respectable 13-2.
He reached the quarterfinals of the Aussie Open and he was forced to withdraw at Indian Wells due to illness. Ironically, he was scheduled to play Nick Kyrgios at Indian Wells prior to his withdrawal. Now he gets his chance to take on the maverick Aussie for the very first time.
In stark contrast to Sinner, Kyrgios’ progression this year has been rather serene. His toughest match thus far was a nervy straight-sets win over Mannarino in the first round. But since then, he has been nothing short of excellent.
He thrashed hardcourt dynamo Andrey Rublev to register his second win of the season against a top 10 opponent. And he was brilliant last time out against Fabio Fognini, combining raw power with deft touch in a brilliant 61-minute display. Kyrgios looks like he is actually enjoying his tennis this year.
That Aussie Open doubles title seems to have galvanized the enigmatic Aussie. He was solid in California last time out, pushing the indomitable Rafa Nadal in three entertaining sets. Could we finally be on the cusp of seeing a more consistent, motivated Kyrgios?
Verdict: Kyrgios to win in straight sets at 5/4- This will be the first career meeting between these two. Sinner hasn’t looked at his vintage best this week, perhaps dealing with some of the lingering effects of the illness that forced him to withdraw from Indian Wells. Kyrgios has been awesome, winning his three matches in pretty emphatic fashion. I think he is poised for a deep run this week and I can see him outgunning Sinner with his crisp groundstrokes.
Llyod Harris (24/10) vs Hubert Hurkacz (8) (3/10)
You would have been forgiven for thinking that 25-year-old South African wouldn’t make much of an impression at this year’s Miami Open. He came into the event with a terrible 2-7 win-loss record for the year. But he seems to have found some form on these slightly quicker surfaces. His serve needs to be fully operational if he is to compete with the top players. And his serve really bailed him out in his 2 hour and 34-minute duel against Yoshihito Nishioka.
He served 19 aces to Nishioka’s 2. This match came fresh off the heels of his brilliant upset victory against Denis Shapovalov. Harris is a dangerous dark horse due to his commanding serve. He reached finals in Adelaide and Dubai last year. He is freewheeling now (this is his maiden appearance in the final 16 of a Masters 1000 event). He will look for a fast start against defending Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz.
Hubert Hurkacz enjoyed a brilliant 2021, winning three titles and reaching the Wimbledon semi-final. One of those titles was his amazing victory at last year’s Miami Open. This year has been solid- if unremarkable. He reached the semi-final of the ATP Cup before reaching his maiden ATP 500 semi-final in Dubai.
His gruelling three-set victory against Aslan Karatsev took his win-loss record for the year to 12-5. Much like Harris, his serve has been a vital key to his success thus far. He does tend to spray the errors when things are a bit tight. But Hurkacz is currently on an eight-match winning streak at the Miami Open. His power-based game seems perfectly suited to these courts. He also has the ability to simplify his game when things aren’t working out and he isn’t afraid of using the ‘serve-and-volley’ approach.
Verdict: Hurkacz to win in three at 13/5- This will be the first career meeting between these two. You can expect plenty of short, truncated rallies. Both of these players actually move well for their relative size. But you can expect serve to dominate. I think that Harris could serve his way to one set. But Hurkacz should ultimately wear Harris down with his consistency off both wings.
