There is plenty of great tennis on the docket in Miami on Monday, with Hubert Hurkacz taking on American Sebastian Korda and perennial Miami Open specialist Francisco Cerundolo battling Karen Khachanov.
(8) Hubert Hurkacz vs. (28) Sebastian Korda
It’s no accident that Hubert Hurkacz had his Masters 1000 breakthrough at the Miami Open back in 2021. The slick, low-bouncing courts are perfectly suited for his big-serving game. He has mostly been a force to reckon with in Miami, although he came up short last year with a third -round loss at the hands of Adrian Mannarino. Hurkacz, who had a first-round bye this week, nevertheless had to work to earn his spot in the last 32. Alexander Shevchenko took the Pole to three relatively competitive sets in the second round.
Sebastian Korda’s results have been a bit inconsistent in 2024. The American started off strong with a semifinal showing in Adelaide, but he keeps running into higher-ranked players relatively early in his other events. He came into Miami with a 9-7 record on the season. His record against Hurkacz won’t be encouraging for this tournament, either. Hurkacz has a 3-1 head-to-head lead and the surface is much more to the eighth seed’s liking.
While this one could offer a competitive scoreline, expect Hurkacz to advance.
Cheryl pick: Hurkacz in 3
Ricky pick: Korda in 3
(20) Francisco Cerundolo vs. (15) Karen Khachanov
Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo may be one of the few ATP players to ever have a specialty that includes clay courts (in general) and the Miami Masters (specifically). The Argentine has done well in Miami in the previous two years. In 2022 he came out of nowhere (defeating four seeds along the way) to make the semifinals. Last year he was beaten soundly in the quarters by none other than his Monday opponent, Karen Khachanov.
Khachanov holds a 2-0 edge over Cerundolo. Their last match was a year ago; Khachanov was dominant with a straight-set win. The Russian has been mostly predictable in 2024 so far, which is to say that he won most matches in which he was ranked higher than his opponent and lost the ones in which he wasn’t. Khachanov is in better form and–like Cerundolo–he has traditionally played well in Miami.
Cheryl pick: Khachanov in 2
Ricky pick: Cerundolo in 3
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