Kyrgios, Zverev Headline Miami Monday

Seeds Nick Kyrgios and Fabio Fognini square off for a place in the Miami Open presented by Itau fourth round on Monday, with Alexander Zverev leading a trio of #NextGenATP stars in action.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following matches from the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itaú & vote for who you think will win! 
Zverev vs Ferrer | Kyrgios vs Fognini | Anderson vs Khachanov

Here are five must-see matches on Monday:

17) Nick Kyrgios vs. 15) Fabio Fognini
Sidelined due to an elbow injury since February 4, Aussie Nick Kyrgios made a resounding return to defeat Dusan Lajovic in his opening Miami Open presented by Itau match. “I know my body is not 100 per cent just yet, but I also know that it’s going to take some time to get back to where I was and playing at the level I was playing at the start of the year,” Kyrios said after the win. The 22-year-old made the perfect start to his season with his fourth ATP World Tour title and first on home soil in Brisbane (d. Harrison). He followed it up with a run to fourth round at the Australian Open (l. to Dimitrov) and played in Australia’s losing Davis Cup tie to Germany. Fifteenth seed Fabio Fognini is his third-round assignment. Separated by just two places in the ATP Rankings, it will be the first FedEx ATP Head2Head battle between the two unpredictable shot-makers. Fognini took down #NextGenATP Spaniard Nicola Kuhn in his opening match. The Italian bagged his sixth ATP World Tour title in Sao Paulo earlier this month (d. Jarry) to return to the Top 20.  

4) Alexander Zverev vs. 28) David Ferrer
Having narrowly avoided a third straight defeat with a two-hour, 13-minute triumph over Russian Daniil Medvedev in his Miami opener, Alexander Zverev faces a tough third-round task when he meets former No. 3 in the ATP Rankings David Ferrer. The German beat the 35-year-old Spaniard for the first time this season in Rotterdam with Ferrer leading the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-1. Miami is the site of Zverev’s first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 win in 2015 as well as his first Top 10 win at the elite level last year, when he defeated top-seeded Stan Wawrinka en route to the quarter-finals. Ferrer easily dispatched of Evgeny Donskoy in his opening match. A semi-finalist in 2005 and 2006, Ferrer’s best run in Miami came in 2013 when he fell to Andy Murray in a third-set tie-break final.

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs. 31) Fernando Verdasco
Perseverance finally reaped dividends for 21-year-old Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis on Saturday when he scored his biggest career victory over top seed and defending champion Roger Federer in the second round. “I’m happy for him that on the big stage he was able to show it, centre court, Miami, people watching, beating me. It’s a big result for him in his career. I hope it’s going to launch him, really getting his ranking up,” Federer said. After working his way back from a string of injuries over two years Kokkinakis will get his next chance to keep the ranking climbing back up towards to the Top 100 when he meets Spaniard Fernando Verdasco for the first time. The 34-year-old Spaniard is coming off a third-round finish in Indian Wells (d. Dimitrov, l. to Fritz) and a runner-up showing late last month in Rio de Janeiro.

 Watch Full Match Replays

11) Sam Querrey vs. Denis Shapovalov
In his 13th straight Miami appearance, American No. 11 seed Sam Querrey will attempt to reach the fourth round for just the second time (2013) when he takes on #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov for the first time. Querrey has found form on hard courts already this season with a run indoors in the New York Open final and a quarter-final result last week in Indian Wells (l. to Raonic). The 18-year-old Shapovalov is looking to reach the fourth round on debut after wins over Viktor Troicki and No. 24 seed Damir Dzumhur. Last year’s winner of the ATP Star Of Tomorrow presented by Emirates award reached his second ATP World Tour semi-final at the Delray Beach Open (l. to eventual champion Tiafoe) in February. Three of his losses this season have come against Top 15 opponents.

10) Tomas Berdych vs. Frances Tiafoe
Miami has proven a happy hunting ground for Czech 10th seed Tomas Berdych over the years with the 32-year-old having reached the 2010 final (l. to Roddick) and at least the quarter-finals on seven other occasions. In January he defeated Juan Martin Del Potro to reach his seventh Australian Open quarter-final in eight years (l. to Federer). His best result this season is a semi-final finish in Marseille (l. to Khachanov). Berdych has never played #NextGenATP American Tiafoe. The 20-year-old Tiafoe is riding the confidence of his maiden ATP World Tour title last month. He downed Shapovalov, Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung and his childhood idol Del Potro en route to the Delray Beach Open title before a first-round exit against compatriot Ernest Escobedo in Indian Wells.