Miami Major Tennis Tournament

The Tournament caters for both the WTA and APT series.   That means that the ladies qualification rounds will start today and the Round 1 tournament will commence on Wednesday.  The qualification rounds for men is also starting today and the Round 1 matches will also start Wednesday.   There will be 12 qualifiers that will be included in the main draw.

The ATP Draw is not available yet and is to take place today at 12:00 Miami time 18:00 SA time.   All that is known at present is that Djokovic and Nadal will not play in this tournament.   The draw will obviously be based on the rankings - but even that is not clear since the rankings may be influenced by the Indian Wells tournament outcomes - this will only be available later today.      

The Seeds

1       Danill  Medvedev

2       Alexander Zverev

3        Stefanos Tsitsipas

4        Matteo Berrettini

5        Andrey Rublev

6        Casper Ruud

7        Felix Auger-Aliassime

8        Hubert Hurkacz

9        Jannik Sinner

10      Cemeron Norrie

11     Taylor Ftitz

12     Dennis Shapovalov

13     Diego Schwartzman

14     Carlos Alcaraz

15     Roberto Bautista-Agut

16     Reilly Ope;ka

17     Pablo Correro-Busta

18     Nikoloz  Basilashvili

19     Lorenzo Sonego

20     John  Isner

21     Marin  Cilic

22     Gael  Monfils

23     Karen Khachanov

24     Daniel Evans

25     Alex de Minaur

26     Grigor Dimitrov

27     Chrstian Garin

28     Frances Tiafoe

29     Aslan Karatsev

30     Alexander Bublik

31     Fabio Fognini

32     Albert Ramos-Vinolas

ROUND 2

Upper Half of the Draw

1       Danill Medvedev                vs       Andy Murray

27   Christian  Garin                    vs       Pedro Martinez

18    Nikoloz Basilashvili            vs       Jenson Brooksby

15    Roberto Bautista-Agut        vs       Kamil Majchrzak

12     Dennis  Shapovalov           vs        Lloyd Harris

24     Daniel Evans                     vs        Yoshihiti Nishioka

29      Aslan Karatsev                 vs        Ugo  Humbert  

8        Hubert Hutrkacz              vs        Arthur  Rinderknech

3       Stefanos  Tsitsipas            vs         Jeffrey Wolf

25     Alex de Minaur                 vs         Jordan  Thompson

21      Marin Cilic                       vs         Alexei Popyrin

14      Carlos Alcaraz                  vs        Marcos Fucsovics

11      Taylor Fritz                        vs        Mikhail Kukushkin

23      Karen  Khachanov             vs       Tommy Paul

32     Albert Ramos-Vinolas        vs       Sebastian Korda 

7        Felix Auger-Aliassme        vs        Miomir Kecmanovic

Bottom  Half of the Draw

5       Andrey  Rublev                   vs       Nic Kyrgios

31    Fabio Fognini                      vs       Taro Daniel

17     Pablo Correro-Busta         vs       David Goffin

9      Jannik Sinner                     vs       Emil Ruusuvuori

16     Reilly Opelka                    vs       Francisco   Cerundolo

22      Gael  Monfils                   vs        Oscar Otte 

28     Frances Tiafoe                  vs        Brandon Nakashima

Juan-Manuel Cerundolo            vs        Kevin Anderson

6      Casper Ruud                      vs       Henri  Laaksonen

30     Alexander Bublik             vs        Daniel Galan Riveros

20     John Isner                         vs       Hugo Gaston

10     Cameron Norrie               vs        Jack Draper

13     Diego Schwartzman         vs        Thanasi Kokkinakis

19     Lorenzo Sonego               vs        Denis Kudla

26      Grigor Dimiotrov            vs        Mackenzie McDonald

2       Alexander Zverev            vs         Borna  Coric

There were 12 qualification matches to be played  today to determine who should be added to the Round 1 matches to be played  starting on Wednesday.    Those 12 has nor been added and all the Round 1 match-ups done.

The Round 1 matches iro the Bottom Half of the Draw ha all been finalized.   There has been some real surprise results - which would help the seeded player to win in Round 2.

The racket attack by Brooksby is hidden away by the media and whilst he actually hit a staff member when racket abuse took place the Djpkovic and Zverev fans are fuming.    Is their one law for US players and another for others?              

 Rublev will need the luck of a pox doctor and playing better than he ever did to beat  Kyrgios in Round 2.   However, he did beat Kyrgios in 2020 in the US Open – but his form in 2021 was iffy and may still be.      

ROUND 3

To be updated after Round 2 matches have been completed.

Upper Half of the Draw

1       Danill Medvedev                vs       Pedro Martinez

 15    Roberto Bautista-Agut        vs       Jenson Brooksby  

Lloyd Harris                                vs        Yoshihiti Nishioka

8        Hubert Hutrkacz              vs       29      Aslan Karatsev   

3       Stefanos  Tsitsipas            vs       25     Alex de Minaur         

14      Carlos Alcaraz                  vs        21      Marin Cilic

11      Taylor Fritz                        vs       Tommy Paul

Miomir Kecmanovic                   vs        Sebastian Korda  

Bottom  Half of the Draw

31    Fabio Fognini                      vs        Nic Kyrgios 

 9      Jannik Sinner                     vs       17     Pablo Correro-Busta   

22      Gael  Monfils                   vs        Francisco   Cerundolo

28     Frances Tiafoe                  vs         Juan-Manuel Cerundolo 

 6      Casper Ruud                      vs        30     Alexander Bublik    

 10     Cameron Norrie               vs        Hugo Gaston

Thanasi Kokkinakis                   vs         Denis Kudla              

2       Alexander Zverev            vs         Mackenzie McDonald

Rublev had zero chance to win - his serving was catastrophically poor  and was doomed from the start .             

ROUND 4

Upper Half of the Draw

1       Danill Medvedev                vs       Jenson Brooksby  

8        Hubert Hutrkacz                vs        Lloyd Harris 

3       Stefanos  Tsitsipas              vs       14      Carlos Alcaraz 

11      Taylor Fritz                        vs       Miomir Kecmanovic  

 Bottom  Half of the Draw

 9      Jannik Sinner                     vs         Nic Kyrgios   

28     Frances Tiafoe                  vs          Francisco   Cerundolo

 6      Casper Ruud                      vs        10     Cameron Norrie    

 2       Alexander Zverev            vs         Thanasi Kokkinakis

In the Top Half of the Draw  there were two seeded players who bit the dust - one against an unseeded player and the other against a seeded player;.    Taking onto account what happened in round 2 - the loss by seeded players are not as bad as it was in  was in the brttom half of the draw  - so we are left with 5 seeded and 3 unseeded players -  none of the unseeded players has much of a chance of beating their seeded opponents.   

Round 3  was another poor day for seeded players in the bottom half of the draw with 2 seeded players losing to unseeded players and  the situation now is that  in Round 4 there remains 5 seeded players and 3 unseeded ones.    In fact there is only one match between 2 seeded players - one of which will not reach the quarterfinals - while two seeded players are in danger of losing their round 4 matches - Sinner and Tiafoe.

QUARTERFINALS

Upper Half of the Draw

1       Danill Medvedev                vs        8        Hubert Hurkacz 

14      Carlos Alcaraz                   vs        Miomir Kecmanovic  

 Bottom  Half of the Draw

 9      Jannik Sinner                     vs       Francisco   Cerundolo

 2       Alexander Zverev            vs         6      Casper Ruud

The interesting match-ups are Tsitsipas vs Alcaraz and Ruud vs Norrie.    After the US Open last year my money is on Alcaraz beating Tsitsipas     The latter was an amazing match  and Tsitsipas was leading 5-2 in the first set.   Alcazar then have 7 straight wins in games -  winning the first set 7-5 and leading 2-0 in he second set.   He then won the second set 6-3.   I would not be surprised at all if  Alcazar win this tournament  - to do that he will have to beat the number 1 player in the world as well as the number  3 player in the world.

Going into Round 4 there were still 3 Americans of the  16 players involved  - after Round 4 there is none left.    The winner of the Miami Open last year - Hurkacz - is still in contention - but his chances of going through to the semifinals are remote..   His chance beating Medvedev can be set at  20% - against  Alcaraz at 0%..      

 After watching the matches it is clear that -

*     Sinner was injured already when he came on and that him trying to play made it impossible to perform; and

*      There seems to be problems with Zverev's fitness  level and even his approach to the game of tennis.   In any 3-set matches he seems to be losing.    

Despite a top class performance by Ketcmanovic - Alcaras still beat him in a 3 setter.         

SEMIFINALS

8        Hubert Hurkacz                 vs        14      Carlos Alcaraz  

6        Casper Ruud                      vs        Francisco   Cerundolo

Can either of Hurkacz or Ruud beats Alcaraz?   I do not think so.    Alcaraz may end up as favorite in the semi- and afterwards  in the final.   

FINAL 

6     Casper Ruud          vs        14      Carlos Alcaraz

My money is on Alcaraz winning this match,   He is likely going to be the bookmakers favorite as well.      

I wrote the above and then found the followiong newspaper report on the Alcaraz - Hurkacz semi-final:-

 Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz continued his sensational play on Friday to beat defending champion Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(5) 7-6(2) and set up a Miami Open final against Casper Ruud, who ended the dream run of Francisco Cerundolo with a 6-4 6-1 win earlier.

For the second night Alcaraz electrified the fans at Hard Rock Stadium with his feisty and fearless play and the 18-year-old will now look to become the tournament's youngest ever champion on Sunday against world number eight Ruud.

"I will try to play like it's the first round to mask the nerves," said Alcaraz, who beat Ruud in straight sets in their only previous meeting in Marbella, Spain, last year.

"I think I'm going to enjoy it and it will be a great final."

In the first set, Alcaraz erased a break point while trailing 3-4 with one of his trademark drop shots and later blasted an exquisite backhand passing shot to send the first set to a tiebreak.

In the breaker, Alcaraz rallied from a 5-3 deficit and won it when Hurkacz's volley found the net, leading the hard-hitting Pole to the throw his racket to the court in frustration.

Alcaraz saved two break points at 5-5 in the second set with help from a flurry of unforced errors by Hurkacz and in the second breaker, delivered yet another perfectly executed drop shot to set up match point.

He sealed the win when Hurkacz's stab volley went into the net to the delight of the crowd on a hot and humid night under the lights in Florida.

Alcaraz will face Ruud in the final after the Norwegian beat Cerundolo in their semi-final during the day.

Ruud converted a late break point to capture the opening set after nerves appeared to come into play for world number 103 Cerundolo, who was featuring in his first Masters 1000 tournament main draw.

Ruud, who like the Argentine is 23, fended off four break points early in the second set and broke Cerundolo with a drop shot for a 3-1 lead he would not relinquish.

 This does not look for Ruud.   He did beat Cerundolo in the semi and struggled against him in the first set - but there was a problem - like in the case in the Aussie Open te organizers did not change the  situation in line with  the procedure laid down when Berretini - the number 4 seed withdrew before the start of the first match he was supposed to play.   That leaves he road wide open for Cerrudolo to get an easer rout to the semi-final after losing in the qualification round and he came in as a lucky loser in Round 2. two matches against other qualification and another surprise win in Round 4 - was followed by an injury-enforce withdrawal by Sinner in the  first set in the quarterfinal - which ahnded the quaterfinal on a platter to Cerundolo.

So Ruud - a good player who  won 5  minor tournaments in 2021 . but rarely beat any player above him on the  ranking - now has to face Alcaraz - who have beaten a string of Top 10 players in 2021 and 2020.    Alcaraz is like a bulldog - if he got a bone he never lets go of it.     In at least two matches in the Miami tournament he came from the back been down and even after facing match points  and he still managed to win the relevant matches.

So who is going to win the final tonight - I put R200 on Alcaraz beating him tonight.               

Congratulations to Carlos - can anyone beat him?   The youbnget player e to win in this tournament - the first ever S aniard winning  the Miami  Tourrnament. - Nadal was in the final five times, but never won.   

So lets bear the following in mind.   In the first set  Ruud was leading 3-0, Ruud playing a rather faultless game/, while Carlos made multiple unforced errors.  He won the seventh game making a return turnover and the result that the score beame 4-3.    After that the core got to 5-5 and that was when  Carlos struck the first time and won  5 games in a row, causing the win of 7-5 and in th second set 3-0.    

That technically was the end of the match  .