Miami Open 2021: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Damir Dzumhur preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Damir Dzumhur
Date: 27 March 2021
Tournament: Miami Open 2021
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Miami, Florida
Category: ATP Masters 1000 Series
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $3,340,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Europsort
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Damir Dzumhur preview
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will begin his Miami Open campaign with a second-round match against Damir Dzumhur, after getting a bye in the first round.
Tsitsipas comes into the tournament on the back of a strong campaign in Acapulco, where he made the final. The Greek was the top seed in Mexico but lost to Alexander Zverev, the second seed, in the summit clash.
Tsitsipas has had a promising year so far, making it to the quarterfinals of every tournament he has played. But the World No. 5 is yet to win a trophy this year; in fact, he is currently on a streak of three straight losses in tournament finals. Needless to say, he would be keen to change that in Miami.
Unlike Tsitsipas, Dzumhur has already played a lot of tennis at Miami this year. He went through two qualifying rounds before taking on Kevin Anderson as the lucky loser in the first round.
The Bosnian was excellent against Anderson, winning 7-6(6) 7-5 margin while losing his serve just once.
Before entering Miami, Dzumhur had not made it past the first round of any tournament in 2021. That means he has already produced his best result of the year.
Dzumhur's last three appearances in Miami came to an end in the second round. The Bosnian will be keen to change that this time around.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Damir Dzumhur head-to-head
Damir Dzumhur has a phenomenal record against Stefanos Tsitsipas. He might be 121 spots behind him in the ATP rankings, but he'll go into this game with confidence and momentum.
Dzumhur leads the head-to-head 3-1, and has also won his last two matches against the Greek. However, Tsitsipas has one factor in his favor - the duo have met on outdoor hardcourt just once so far, and he won that encounter in straight sets.
Dzumhur has dropped just one set in his three wins against Tsitsipas.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Damir Dzumhur prediction
Despite not winning a title so far this year, Stefanos Tsitsipas has been in great form throughout. He has a win-loss ratio of 14-4 in 2021 and has also reached his career-high spot in the ATP Rankings - No. 5.
The 22-year-old's all-court aggression, coupled with his accurate groundstrokes and nimble movement, make him one of the best players in the world right now.
Damir Dzumhur doesn't have a big serve or powerful groundstrokes, but he makes up for that with his smart play. The Bosnian is one of the calmest players on tour and does not get rattled under pressure. In fact, he had the highest break point conversion rate among his peers a few years ago.
Dzumhur's mental strength is precisely what makes this encounter exciting. While Tsitsipas has a tendency to crumble under pressure, Dzumhur has proven to be a clutch player throughout his career.
That said, the Greek is technically far superior than the Bosnian, and he also has a lot more firepower off the ground. This has all the makings of a tight contest, but Tsitsipas' bigger serve and forehand might end up making the difference.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.