Fourth seed Roger Federer and seventh seed John Isner face off for the first time in four years in Sunday’s final at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Federer leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2, but given the trajectory of their careers since their last battle at the 2015 Rolex Paris Masters, won by Isner in a third-set tie-break, they will arrive on Stadium Court with a clean slate.

Since that match, Isner has earned a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 8 (in July 2018), reached his first Grand Slam semi-final (2018 Wimbledon) and picked up his first ATP Masters 1000 title last year in Miami (d. Zverev). He’s now one match away from a successful title defence after powering into the final without dropping a set.

After undergoing knee surgery in 2016 and taking the second half of that season off to recover from it, some critics wondered whether Federer would get back to the top of the game. He’s silenced them all by winning 12 more ATP Tour titles, including three Grand Slams, three Masters 1000 titles and his 100th tour-level title earlier this month at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Tsitsipas). After surviving an opening-round scare in Miami against Radu Albot of Moldova, he’s dropped an average of six games in his past five matches.

There will be no secrets when Federer and Isner meet. It’s one of the best serves of all time against one of the best returns of all time. Almost all of their matches have been highly competitive affairs and Sunday’s clash should be no exception.

“He’s definitely got one of the serves that you basically can’t read. It’s that simple,” said Federer. “You just hope that the stars align, that you pick the right side, he picks the wrong side, maybe he misses a serve, that you can put him in uncomfortable situations time and time again, and at the end somehow find a way.”

Familiarity with the moment could play a factor. Federer is playing in his 50th Masters 1000 final (27-22), while Isner is competing in his fifth (1-3). It will be important for Federer to get off to a hot start as he’s done in his past two matches against Kevin Anderson and Denis Shapovalov. If he can grab an early break, Federer will establish that that he can run away with the momentum.

Isner has been the tie-break king in Miami, winning nine of his 10 sets this fortnight with a 7-6 scoreline. His tie-break record against Federer is impressive, but less dominant at 4-4. Isner will need to take care of his service games and continue to keep the scoreline close. The deeper a set goes, the more the odds will favour him.

The American downplayed his chances at defending his crown at the start of the tournament, but his low-key approach didn’t reflect his unwavering confidence that he could. While some fans may be surprised to see him produce another inspired run, Isner is not and believes he has the tools to leave Miami with back-to-back titles.

“I believe personally that I can win any tournament I enter because of how disruptive I can be and because of how well I can serve at times,” said Isner. “I’m not surprised that I’m sitting here back in the final again.”

Saturday’s doubles final will see third seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pursue a sixth doubles title in Miami and 118th ATP Tour doubles title as a team. The Americans take on Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. Koolhof is playing in his first Masters 1000 final and Tsitsipas is competing in his first ATP Tour doubles final.

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, 30 MARCH 2019

STADIUM start 1:00 pm
WTA match

Not Before 3:00 pm
[3] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) vs Wesley Koolhof (NED) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, 31 MARCH 2019

STADIUM start 1:00 pm
[7] John Isner (USA) vs [4] Roger Federer (USA)

Roger Federer has the picture already formed in his head: He’s crouched behind the service line, on his tip toes, ready to pounce on anything that comes his way, and John Isner, his opponent in the Miami final, stands across from him, throwing down bullet serves.

The question that might determine if Federer wins his 28^th ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday: How many serves can he stop from hitting the back wall?

“I honestly love big servers, to watch them, [to see] if they’re going to ace every second or third point. For me, that’s exciting because it’s like a penalty shootout in [football], it’s just in tennis,” Federer said during his on-court interview with ESPN. “I’ll be the goalie on Sunday. I’ll try my very best. I’ll try to get as many balls back as possible.”

The three-time Miami Open presented by Itau champion has done David de Gea impressions well in the past against Isner. Federer leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2, which includes a straight-sets win in the 2012 BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells. Isner won their most recent tour-level meeting, at the 2015 Rolex Paris Masters.

“I know what to expect – that he will not miss many serves. He’s got an amazing serve. One of the best in the game, forever. It’s really hard to play against him,” Federer said.

The Swiss moved into his fifth Miami final with ease on Friday night, beating #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4. Federer hasn’t dropped a set since his tournament opener against Moldovan Radu Albot.

But the 37-year-old’s semi-final against the 18-year-old Shapovalov wasn’t just any other match, Federer admitted. He feels a bit more amped when facing members of the #NextGenATP.

“I told my daughters before I walked out tonight that he wasn’t even born yet when I actually played on the pro tour already,” said Federer, who turned pro in 1998, one year before Shapovalov was, in fact, born. “So they’re like, ‘What? Hold on a second.’ They did the calculations. ‘So this guy’s really young?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m really old.’ But it’s all good. It definitely gives me an extra pep. No doubt about it.”

Isner, the defending champion, returned to the Miami final with a 7-6(3), 7-6(4) win against Shapovalov’s friend and countryman 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime. The teenager served for both sets.

“Hopefully we’ll have a good match,” Federer told ESPN. “I’m excited to play John because he really had a tough match against Felix today. That was an awesome performance by him.”

The 33-year-old American has won all 10 sets he’s played and is 9-0 in tie-breaks.

#NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov was unafraid of saying that competing against Roger Federer was a dream come true before his clash with the Swiss superstar in the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals.

The best part of those dreams is usually seeing your hero across the net, hitting an amazing shot, or possibly even finding a way to triumph.

With a sheepish grin on his face, the teen made his surprising choice: “The warmup.”

That’s because Federer dismissed the lefty in straight sets after just 73 minutes. The 37-year-old broke in his second and third return games of the match to set the tone, and he never gave the Canadian a chance to battle back. Shapovalov still had fun, though.

“It’s always tough to lose, but it’s definitely enjoyable to be out there with your idol on the court,” Shapovalov said. “I gave it all I had. He played a good match today. That’s it. That’s all you can really say.”

Shapovalov has practised with Federer before. But practice and competing in an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final are two entirely different propositions.

“It’s kind of surreal, being on the court against him. Obviously I wasn’t trying to focus on the fact that it’s Roger on the other side,” Shapovalov said. “I was just trying to play as good as I can, and he did a good job today. He played an excellent match. I wasn’t able to kind of stay at his level. So I’m just going to try to learn from this and move forward.”

The three-time Masters 1000 semi-finalist did well throughout the tournament to impose his athletic, attacking game, showing no fear in unleashing his forehand and coming to net. But he showed his nerves early on with a number of errors, and that was not what he had in mind strategically.

“Try to hit four aces a game and hope he double [faults],” Shapovalov said, kidding. “There is a couple of things that I was trying to do out there that I talked [about] with my team. But honestly, I was just trying to play my game and just be myself on court.

“Honestly I don’t think I was able to play at 100 per cent of my level today, but that’s why he’s so good. He didn’t let me get into my groove and get into my game… it shows how experienced and how good he is.”

While it was clear that Federer was in control throughout the match, Shapovalov did not get too down on himself. In the second set, he hit a forehand stab volley for a winner right on the line that drew applause from the crowd, and the Canadian then waved his arms to try to have people cheer even louder.

“I was just trying to kind of get into the match. Obviously I started off a little bit tight. He started off pretty strong in the first. So in the second set I tried to turn it around. Had a couple chances. Wasn’t able to convert,” Shapovalov said. “I did what I could. And with that moment, it was just kind of a fun moment. I hit a ridiculous volley. I think even he said, ‘No way,’ or something. I just tried to get the crowd involved. Just have a little bit of fun.”

Federer is into his record 50th Masters 1000 final. The Swiss may not have served his best — landing just 49 per cent of his first serves — but he produced a tidy performance, winning all but two of those points (20/22) to lead the way to victory.

“I just think he has every shot mastered. When he needs a shot, he’s going to make it,” Shapovalov said. “He’s going to go for it, he’s going to make it. I don’t think he has any weaknesses. That’s why he’s the GOAT [greatest of all-time].”

Shapovalov may leave Miami disappointed, as he was just two victories from lifting his maiden ATP Tour trophy. But on Monday he will crack the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings, and he will hope to carry the momentum into the clay season.

“It’s a good part of the season for me, I think. I think I have proven myself on the dirt. I see that I can play on it and beat good players on it. So I’m really looking forward to it,” Shapovalov said. “Obviously it’s a little bit of a different change of pace. Going to have to play a little bit differently than these couple of weeks. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I have had good success last year. It’s going to be a good opportunity for me.”

Canadian Denis Shapovalov had been looking forward to playing Roger Federer practically his entire life. Before the match, he called it “a dream come true”. The 19-year-old, however, didn’t envision their semi-final going like it did on Friday night at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The Canadian was nervous to start, and that was more than Federer needed as the three-time champion delivered another near-perfect performance at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Swiss glided around court and hit winners all match, cruising to his fifth Miami final – his 50^th at the ATP Masters 1000 level – 6-2, 6-4 and will face American John Isner for a chance at his 28^th Masters 1000 crown. The defending champion Isner beat 18-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(3), 7-6(4) earlier Friday.

“I enjoyed it. I think I played very well. I had to. Because I think when you let Denis play, he’s got some serious power, and he gets rhythm going. He can really put you in uncomfortable situations,” Federer said. “So I think I did well, and I’m very happy how I played.”

Federer leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Isner 5-2, including a straight-sets win during the 2012 BNP Paribas Open final. Isner, however has yet to drop a set this fortnight and is 9-0 in tie-breaks.

Shapovalov was on the board early, despite the nerves that can come with playing your idol for the first time. But the good feelings didn’t last, as Federer broke in the third game when Shapovalov shanked a backhand.

The teenager finished the opener with 20 unforced errors. Federer, meanwhile, picked up where he finished with Kevin Anderson on Thursday night, smacking crosscourt forehand winners and pressuring Shapovalov to pass. The Swiss hit only four unforced errors in the opener.

Read More: Federer Ready For Goalie Duty Against Isner

Shapovalov came back from a set down three times to reach the semi-finals, including during his quarter-final against #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe. And the Canadian held to start the second. But Federer broke in the third game again and served his way into the final.

“It’s surreal, being on the court against him,” Shapovalov said. “Obviously I wasn’t trying to focus on the fact that it’s Roger on the other side. I was just trying to play as good as I can, and he did a good job today. He played an excellent match. I wasn’t able to kind of stay at his level. I’m just going to try to learn from this and move forward.”

The 37-year-old Federer has now reached the most Masters 1000 finals in history with 50 (27-22). Spain’s Rafael Nadal has made 49 finals at the prestigious level (33-16).

Federer will go for title No. 101 against Isner, after having won his 100th title earlier this month at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Tsitsipas).

Five-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan saved four match points on Friday to reach the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau, defeating top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 7-6(7), 6-7(8), 14-12 in a two-hour, 28-minute thriller.

The roller coaster of a battle had plenty of twists and turns, with Kubot ultimately double-faulting at 12-13, allowing the 40-year-old twins to triumph on their sixth match point. Kubot and Melo won 94 points to the Bryan brothers’ 93, but the Americans are into their seventh Miami final.

“Our nerves were a little shocked. I think it was a roller coaster. Obviously a tough team that’s given us trouble in the past. A lot of great shots by everyone, a lot of nerves by everyone. The crowd was going crazy,” Bob said. “That brought out some great focus in us. We stayed tough through some really trying times. It would have been easy to lose our heads there. But I think we’re playing some great tennis. We’re really happy to be in the finals.”

This is the defending champions’ first ATP Masters 1000 final as a team since Bob underwent a right hip replacement last August. Mike triumphed at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Nitto ATP Finals last year with countryman Jack Sock. And after the brothers reunited in January, they claimed their first title since Bob’s injury in Delray Beach.

Throughout the match, Bob showed no hesitation, even diving on a couple crucial points. When the siblings completed their trademark post-win chest bump on Friday, it was Bob who leapt higher.

“He’s in a great frame of mind. He’s got his little kids on the court after the match,” Mike said. “Bob’s bleeding from his hand. He dove on a couple big points and he was ripping his pantyhose as we call them. But we gave everything we had out there. Happy to be in another Miami final.” 

“The hip didn’t dislocate. That metal’s pretty in there, so the cement’s not giving out,” Bob said. “Just don’t know what to expect. I’m getting better with every match and hopefully can keep improving, but we didn’t think we’d be here at this stage.”

Bryan/Bryan will face a new challenge in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Wesley Koolhof. Tsitsipas, the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion, may be inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. But entering this tournament, he had only won three tour-level doubles matches in his career (3-12).

But the #NextGenATP Greek and Koolhof, a Dutchman, have enjoyed a tremendous run in South Florida. On Friday they defeated Ivan Dodig and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-7(2), 10-8.

“We started playing together in Indian Wells, lost a close first round against Kubot-Melo in a Match Tie-break. We said, ‘Let’s try again in Miami,’ and we’ve pretty much exceeded our expectations,” said Koolhof, who had never won a Masters 1000 match before this event. “It’s an amazing feeling to be in tomorrow’s final here.”