Tennis News

On Saturday afternoon, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will begin his title defence campaign at the Miami Open, where he will look to once again complete back-to-back championship wins at Indian Wells and Miami. He will begin against Slovakia’s Martin Klizan, whom he has never faced previously on the tour.

Watch the match Live Here: Djokovic vs Klizan Live Streaming

Last week, Djokovic worked his way through a pleasant draw to challenge Roger Federer in the final of the Indian Wells tournament. While there were several momentum shifts in the match, Djokovic took command of the match in the final set, broke twice and secured the 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 win against the Swiss star. The win pushed him to just two wins away from tying Federer in the head-to-head series.

“I thought overall it was a great match from my side, very solid, great intensity, great commitment to hit every ball,” Djokovic said. “I was very focused in the present moment.”

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Djokovic will next come up against Martin Klizan, who secured a straight sets victory over Paolo Lorenzi to reach the second round of the tournament. He converted four break points to close out the match 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 17 minutes.

This is set to be the first time that Djokovic and Klizan clash on the ATP World Tour, and is hardly a contest that would have fans worried about the Serb’s chances of wining. While Klizan has proven to be a threat to other top players in the past, this is hardly his favourite surface, nor has he come up against the No. 1 player on the tour in top form before.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

For other Miami Open Predictions and Previews, Click Here: ATP & WTA Miami Open 2015 Tips

Once the Miami Open draw was announced just a few days ago, one of the potential second round matches that was immediately noticed was the Dimitrov vs Pospisil meeting. While some may have hoped that Juan Martin del Potro would have made a successful comeback and set up the contest with the Bulgarian, we are instead dealt a riveting alternative. This marks the second time that Dimitrov and Pospisil meet on the professional tour, with Grigor leading the Head to Head series 1-0.

You can follow the match Live Here: Dimitrov vs Pospisil Live Streaming

While the Canadian was not in top form himself, he managed to overcome the lethargic and rusty del Potro to secure a straight set victory over the Argentine. He defeated Juan Martin 6-4, 7-6(7) to close out the match in just under two hours of court time.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Pospisil said of the returning del Potro. “That was a little added stress, but at the same time, I was focused on serving well and playing my game.

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“Whether [del Potro] had pain or not, he wasn’t hitting the same backhand that he normally plays, and I tried to take advantage of that by coming in and putting pressure on that side. But he was still serving well, which made it tough, so I just hung in there and maybe got a little bit fortunate at the end.”

Pospisil’s win sets up a meeting with ninth seed Dimitrov, who received a bye through the first round of the tournament. While he was unable to get past the third round at Indian Wells, the Canadian is still aware of the obstacle in his path.

“He’s super talented and playing great,” Pospisil said of his next opponent. “I’ll go out there and try to play well and stay aggressive and see how it goes.”

This is just the second time that Dimitrov and Pospisil will meet on the professional tour, with the Bulgarian leading the head-to-head series 1-0. Following up on his last win in Basel, Dimitrov will be looking to earn a solid victory over the Canadian and stay away from the fate his girlfriend suffered in her opening match in Miami.

Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov in Three Sets

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Following an emotional fortnight at Indian Wells, where she was competing for the first time I 14 years, Serena Williams will return to Miami, where she is a renowned champion. The top seed will begin her campaign against Monica Niculescu in the second round of the tournament, whom she encountered in the second round at Indian Wells less than two weeks ago. Williams leads the head-to-head series 1-0.

Following a 19th Grand Slam title win at the Australian Open, and a successful foay at the Fed Cup, Williams ventured to the American desert for the first time since 2001, and reached the semi-final stage of the tournament, where she was forced to withdraw from the event with an injury.

In her opening match in Miami, Niculescu faced a resilient Shelby Rogers, whom she defeated in straight sets after a competitive opening frame. After the first set ended in a tiebreak in one hour and 4 minutes, the Romanian breezed through the second set and won the match 7-6(1), 6-1. She will now come up against Williams, whom she pushed to a respectable 7-5, 6-5 scoreline in their only previous meeting.

“She’s an amazing player,” the Romanian commented. “When she’s tossing the ball to serve, you cannot see exactly where she’ll be hitting it. So I was guessing. Just guessing. That’s why she hit so many aces. I was trying to put all the balls back, but she was acing me all the time. It wasn’t easy.”

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This marks the second time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with the American leading the head-to-head series 1-0. Given that this tournament does not come with the pressure that she felt a few weeks ago, Williams be a heavy favourite to win the match and advance to the third round of the tournament.

Prediction: Serena Williams in Straight Sets