Andy Murray takes on Matteo Berrettini and Jack Drape faces off against Taro Daniel in the ATP Tour’s Miami Open. Damien Kayat previews these two clashes.
2024 ATP Tour
Masters 1000
Miami Open
Hard Rock Stadium
Selected Ro128 Matches – Wednesday 20 March
ALL BETTING TBA
Andy Murray vs Matteo Berrettini
You get the sense that time is running out for a late-career Andy Murray resurgence. The injury-plagued Scot has shown commendable gumption to return to court after what he has been through. But he lost his first four tour-level matches this year and the prognosis for his season was looking pretty bleak.
But there have a few encouraging signs for the Scot in recent weeks. He has actually won his last three successive first-round encounters. He pushed hardcourt dynamo Andrey Rublev to a tiebreak in the first set of their round of 64 clash at Indian Wells.
The Russian ultimately overwhelmed the Scot but it was quite commendable that he was able to go toe-to-toe with Rublev for so long. Murray is a two-time Miami Open champion and two-time Miami Open runner-up (though all those finals came before the venue change in 2019).
I feel like this clash against a similarly injury-riddled Berrettini could be an excellent litmus test for the efficacy of his career.
27-year-old Italian Matteo Berrettini will be looking for a solid outing this week as he plays his first tour-level match since last year’s US Open. The injury-prone Italian sustained an ankle injury at Flushing Meadows and he was forced to withdraw from this year’s Aussie Open due to a recurrence of that knock.
But he did return to competitive action last week, reaching the final of the Phoenix Challenger event (where he was knocked out by Borges). The fact that his body withstood the rigours of an entire Challenger event bodes well for the Italian’s return to the big time.
Lest we forget, this is a man who reached the quarterfinal stage or better in six Grand Slams between 2019 and 2022. Berrettini- with his massive serve and devastating forehand- has aways reminded me of Juan Martin del Potro.
But he has actually never won an ATP Tour title on hardcourts. I find that surprising considering the fact that he is both an Aussie and US Open semi-finalist. He comes into this match with a bit of momentum and victory here will put one more nail into the coffin of Murray’s storied career.
Verdict: Berrettini to win in three sets
The Italian holds a slender 3-2 head-to-head advantage over Murray. But the Scot won their most recent encounter, outlasting the Italian in an epic five-set marathon at last year’s Aussie Open.
This is a really tough one to call. Murray will be more battle-hardened following weeks of arduous tour-level action. But Berrettini’s run to that Challenger final shows that his body must be in pretty decent condition.
I think I give the slight edge to Berrettini this week. He has an explosive power-based game that could be too much for this version of Murray to handle.
Jack Draper | Taro Daniel
From one fragile Brit to another. I have long said that 22-year-old Jack Draper is one of the most exciting talents in men’s tennis. He has a monstrous lefty serve and excellent groundstrokes off both wings. He moves deceptively well and also has fantastic touch at the net. In short: he has the potential to be the complete package.
But he suffered a series of debilitating injuries last season that really interrupted his evolution. He suffered from cramps in the early portion of the season and would later suffer abdominal and shoulder issues. But he enjoyed some really solid finishes towards the end of last year and he would bring that form directly into 2024.
He reached a second career ATP final in Adelaide and he would also go on to reach a maiden ATP 500 semi-final in Acapulco. But he was forced to withdraw from his semi-final showdown with de Minaur due to an undisclosed physical issue.
He returned to action at Indian Wells but was surprisingly eliminated by Christopher O’Connell. Will Draper be able to bounce back in these slightly quicker conditions?
31-year-old Japanese player Taro Daniel is your archetypal journeyman pro. He won the only title of his career back in 2018 and success has largely eluded him at tour-level since then. But the indefatigable Daniel has picked up some pretty decent results over the last 12 months or so.
He reached the third round in back-to-back Masters 1000 events for the first time in his career during last year’s ‘Sunshine Double’. He actually beat Alex Zverev on these very courts last year (though the German was still finding his feet after returning from injury).
He played well in some Challenger events towards the end of last year and that form bled into 2024. He reached his 2nd career ATP final in Auckland (taking down big-serving lefty Ben Shelton in the process). But he has reverted back to type since then, going 2-6 since competing in that final.
Can he draw on last year’s decent Miami showing and pick up another upset win?
Verdict: Draper to win in straight sets
This will be the first career meeting between these two. There is always an element of risk in backing a player as physically vulnerable as Draper.
But he should ease past the Japanese player if he is anywhere near his best. These Miami courts are quicker than Indian Wells and he should be able to get decent purchase off that exemplary serve.
