Miami Open 2021: Milos Raonic vs Ugo Humbert preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (12) Milos Raonic vs (20) Ugo Humbert
Date: 29 March 2021
Tournament: Miami Open 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Miami, Florida
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $3,340,000
Match timing: 11 am local time, 8.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Europsort
Milos Raonic vs Ugo Humbert preview
The third round of the 2021 Miami Open will see two big-serving players - Milos Raonic and Ugo Humbert - clash for a spot in the last 16.
Raonic, a three-time quarterfinalist in Miami, will be keen on recovering from a couple of early exits in his latest ATP outings. He will, however, be expecting a tough fight from Humbert, who also thrives on hardcourts.
Humbert had a breakthrough season of sorts in 2020, winning a couple of ATP titles and scoring his first top-10 wins. However, he hasn't quite performed with that level of consistency this season.
The under-fire frozen rankings system has helped the Frenchman climb up to a near-career high of No. 30 in the world. But he has failed to get past the quarters in four of his five tournaments so far in 2021, which is a fairly disappointing return for someone of his caliber.
That said, Humbert does have a big game that seems destined to succeed on the hardcourts. And in a hot-and-cold opponent such as Raonic here, he would be sensing an opportunity.
Milos Raonic vs Ugo Humbert head-to-head
Milos Raonic leads Ugo Humbert in the head-to-head by a slender 1-0 margin, having taken their quarterfinal clash at the Paris Masters in a third-set tiebreaker last year.
Milos Raonic vs Ugo Humbert prediction
Milos Raonic has posted quite a few big results over the years, but lately he has been quite up-and-down. He will be keen on changing that this year.
The Canadian started the year with a fourth-round run at the Australian Open, but followed that with a second-round exit in Acapulco. He did score a convincing win in his opening match at Miami though, and will be hoping to bring the same level of intent to the clash against Ugo Humbert.
Both men are likely to have an easy time holding their serve, and we can expect a couple of tight tiebreaker sets. The outcome of this match will be decided by the smallest of margins, and Raonic's level of experience might give him a slight edge.
Prediction: Milos Raonic to win in three sets.