Miami Open 2024 Day 7: Men's singles predictions ft. Alex de Minaur vs Jan-Lennard Struff
A spot in the fourth round is up for grabs on Day 7 of the 2024 Miami Open.
Three-time Major champion Andy Murray's journey came to an end with a 5-7, 7-5,7-6 (5) defeat to Thomas Machac. Eighth seed Holger Rune also bit the dust as he went down meekly against Fabian Marozsan.
Second seed Jannik Sinner looked to be in trouble on Sunday as well but managed to sneak past Tallon Griekspoor with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 win. Now, more players will be aiming to join the Italian and the others in the fourth round.
Here's a look at the predictions for some of the third-round matches set for Day 7 of the Miami Open:
#1 - Alex de Minaur vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview
De Minaur defeated Kwon Soon-woo 6-3, 6-2 to reach the third round of the Miami Open. Struff handed his compatriot Dominik Koepfer a 6-3, 6-3 loss to do the same.
The two have split their previous four meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 2-2. De Minaur won their first couple of matches, after which Struff managed to even the rivalry with two wins of his own.
However, Struff has struggled mightily this year and has a 5-7 record thus far. De Minaur, on the other hand, has been on a roll. He cracked the top 10 of the rankings, defended his title at the Mexican Open, and has a 17-5 record this season. The Australian's form makes him the favorite to come out on top in this duel.
Predicted winner: Alex de Minaur
#2 - Karen Khachanov vs Francisco Cerundolo
Khachanov cruised past Laslo Djere with a 6-2, 6-4 victory to reach the third round here. Cerundolo was tested by Sebastian Ofner in the second round but steamrolled his opponent in the third set to score a 7-6 (2), 6-7 (2), 6-1 win.
Cerundolo has a pretty good record at the Miami Open and hasn't lost before the quarterfinals in his previous couple of appearances. Khachanov failed to make it past the third round in his first six attempts at the venue but reached the semifinals here last year.
Khachanov also defeated Cerundolo en route to the last four in Miami last year. He even won their other encounter at the 2022 Canadian Open before that. The Russian is also in slightly better form compared to his opponent, which makes him the favorite heading into this match.
Predicted winner: Karen Khachanov
#3 - Fabian Marozsan vs Alexei Popyrin
Marozsan first eliminated Aleksandar Kovacevic, then followed it up with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over eighth seed Holger Rune. Popyrin started his run at the Miami Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Facundo Diaz Acosta, after which he eliminated 26th Jiri Lehecka with a score of 6-4, 6-4.
Marozsan continues to impress this season. He'll now be aiming to reach the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament yet again. He has a pretty great chance too as he has never lost before that round so far.
Popyrin has returned to the tour after a month-long absence and has done well upon his comeback. However, Marozsan is more match-fit at present and has momentum on his side. Thus, the Hungarian will be backed to make it through this clash.
Predicted winner: Fabian Marozsan
#4 - Grigor Dimitrov vs Yannick Hanfmann
Dimitrov scored a hard-fought 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 6-2 comeback win to advance to the third round of the Miami Open. Hanfmann has taken the scenic route to reach this stage as well. He needed three sets to get past Emil Ruusuvuori in his opener.
Hanfmann then looked down and out against Adrian Mannarino in the second round but fought back to score a 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 win. The German has scored back-to-back wins for just the second time this season, and the first time on hardcourts.
Hanfmann has also reached the third round of the Miami Open for the first time. He has blown a little hot and cold this year, so Dimitrov, who has been more consistent, will fancy his odds of victory.
The Bulgarian has a great opportunity to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open for the first time since 2016. Given his rather good results this season, he'll be expected to come out on top in this match.
Predicted winner: Grigor Dimitrov