Bottom-Half Preview: Sinner & Kyrgios Collide On Day 7 In Miami

The Miami Open presented by Itau action heats up on Tuesday with all fourth-round matches taking place at the ATP Masters 1000 event. A first meeting between Jannik Sinner and Nick Kyrgios headlines the action from the bottom half of the draw, while second seed Alexander Zverev battles Thanasi Kokkinakis and Top 20 stars Casper Ruud and Cameron Norrie face off as both seek a first quarter-final appearance at Hard Rock Stadium.

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[9] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [WC] Nick Kyrgios (AUS)

A maiden ATP Head2Head meeting between Jannik Sinner and Nick Kyrgios would be an exciting prospect anywhere in the world, but on Monday the pair face off for the first time in Miami, a city synonymous with winning for both players.

Sinner reached the championship match on debut at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in 2021, while Kyrgios is a two-time semi-finalist who holds a 14-4 match record at the event. Fans may have been deprived of a Sinner-Kyrgios clash at the BNP Paribas Open two weeks ago after the Italian was forced to withdraw from their fourth-round match due to illness, but they haven’t had to wait much longer to glimpse what should be an intriguing matchup.

After last year’s exploits, Sinner could have been forgiven for feeling the pressure of expectation on his return to south Florida. The 20-year-old has certainly had to battle in Miami so far this year but dug deep to fend off three match points to edge Emil Ruusuvuori in his opening match and save five more against Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round.

In contrast Kyrgios’ time on court has been relatively brief, the Australian having dropped just nine games across his opening two matches against Andrey Rublev and Fabio Fognini in Miami. The six-time ATP Tour titlist has looked back to his best across the Sunshine Double, reaching the quarter-finals in Indian Wells without dropping a set before falling to Rafael Nadal. Sinner will be another tough test for Kyrgios as he tries to maintain his excellent form, but the wild card is brimming with confidence.

“I wanted to keep the momentum going,” said Kyrgios after Fabio Fognini in the third round. “As soon as I had break points, I wanted to take them. I served well and I am happy to be through. I am just returning well. My doubles has helped me a lot on [the] singles court. The way I am serving and returning is quite a sight to see.”

[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. [Q] Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)

Another duo facing off for the first time on Tuesday is second seed Alexander Zverev and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

A tough start to 2022 means No. 4-ranked Zverev is still hunting a first trophy of the year, but the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion believes his opening wins over Borna Coric and Mackenzie McDonald show he is starting to find his way under the Florida sun.

“I’m happy to be finding my rhythm a little bit,” Zverev said after taking out McDonald in straight sets. “I’m happy with getting easier wins, as well. [I’m] just generally happy to be in the fourth round. I think the tournament is going to get tougher from here, but I’m ready.”

Zverev has triumphed at four of the nine Masters 1000 events and came mighty close to doing the same in Miami in 2018 when he fell to a three-set defeat to John Isner in the championship match. However, until this week the German hadn’t won a match in south Florida since the tournament’s 2019 move to Hard Rock Stadium.

Qualifier Kokkinakis has got his hands on two trophies this year, clinching a maiden ATP Tour title in his hometown of Adelaide in January and then lifting the Australian Open doubles title with Kyrgios. The Australian came through qualifying in Miami without dropping a set and has carried that momentum into the main draw, taking out 13th seed Diego Schwartzman and fellow qualifier Denis Kudla to reach the fourth round for the first time.

[6] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs. [10] Cameron Norrie (GBR)

Zverev or Kokkinakis’ quarter-final opponent will be settled in a Top 20 clash between Casper Ruud and Cameron Norrie.

Sixth seed Ruud is showing signs of bringing his Masters 1000 clay-court success to Hard Rock Stadium. The Norwegian is a former semi-finalist on the red dirt in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, but his opening wins over Henri Laaksonen and Alexander Bublik this tournament are his only main-draw victories in Miami.

In Norrie he faces another of the in-form players on Tour, and one who seems to thrive in front of North American fans. The Brit’s 14-match winning streak on the continent was only ended by Rafael Nadal in the Acapulco final in February. Norrie bounced back immediately to reach the quarter-finals defending his title in Indian Wells and his wins over Jack Draper and Hugo Gaston have brought him to the fourth round in Miami for the first time.

The pair has met twice before, with Ruud claiming victory both times but in contrasting styles. The Norweigan cruised to the title in San Diego in October with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Norrie in the final of the ATP 250 event but was then pushed to three sets by the Brit at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in November. With both players striking the ball well and with a title apiece already in 2022, this fourth-round clash remains a hard one to call.

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[28] Frances Tiafoe (USA) vs. Francisco Cerundolo (ARG)

A big opportunity awaits both home favourite Frances Tiafoe and Argentine Francisco Cerundolo when they meet.

No. 103-ranked Cerundolo has impressed on his Masters 1000 main-draw debut and dropped just five games to 22nd seed Gael Monfils in the third round. It is his first meeting with Tiafoe and he will hope to do more damage to the 28th seed’s game than his younger brother, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, managed in his 6-3, 6-2 defeat to the American on Sunday.

It is a fourth consecutive fourth-round appearance in Miami for Tiafoe, who was pushed to three sets in his opening match by #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima. The 24-year-old has been hampered by an elbow injury in 2022 and his victories this week represent the first time he has won two matches in a row since November.

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2022

STADIUM start 12:00 noon
ATP – [Q] T. Kokkinakis (AUS) vs. [2] A. Zverev (GER)
ATP – [1] D. Medvedev vs. J. Brooksby (USA)

Not Before 3:00 pm
WTA – [22] B. Bencic (SUI) vs. [WC] D. Saville (AUS)

Not Before 7:00 pm
WTA – N. Osaka (JPN) vs. [9] D. Collins (USA)

Not Before 9:00 pm
[11] T. Fritz (USA) vs. M. Kecmanovic (SER)

GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
ATP – [6] C. Ruud (NOR) vs. [10] C. Norrie (GBR)
ATP – [WC} N. Kyrgios (AUS) vs. [9] J. Sinner (ITA)
ATP – F. Cerundolo (ARG) vs. [28] F. Tiafoe (USA)
ATP – L. Harris (RSA) vs. [8] H. Hurkacz (POL)
ATP – [3] S. Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. [14] C. Alcaraz (ATP)

BUTCH BUCHHOLZ start 11:00 am

ATP – R. Bopanna (IND) / D. Shapovalov (CAN) vs. [6] W. Koolhof (NED) / N. Skupski (GBR)

Not Before 12:00 pm
WTA – K. Flipkens (BEL) / S. Mirza (IND) vs. E. Alexandrova / Z. Yang (CHN)

Not Before 2:00 pm
[1] V. Kudermetova / E.Mertens (BEL) vs. A. Rosolska (POL) / E. Routliffe (AUS)

After Suitable Rest
[WC] T. Kokkinakis (AUS) / N. Kyrgios (AUS) vs. [3] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG)
S. Bolelli (ITA) / F. Fognini (ITA) vs. F. Delbonis (ARG) / Ma. Gonzalez (ARG)