Each day before play at the Miami Open, we’ll preview and predict three must-see matches.
Simona Halep [3] vs. Johanna Konta [10]
The day session kicks off with what should be a competitive quarterfinal. Halep is ranked No. 5, six spots higher than Konta, but Konta won their only previous match—7-5 in the third set—in Wuhan in 2015. So far Konta has had the stronger season; in Australia, while the Romanian was making a first-round exit, the Brit may have been playing better than anyone other than Serena Williams. But history says that Halep is destined to turn it around at some point. Did that point happen on Monday night, when she came back from what looked like certain defeat to beat Sam Stosur in three sets? It should be fun to find out. The tour is a better place when Simona is playing well. Winner: Konta
Angelique Kerber [1] vs. Venus Williams [11]
The evening session begins with a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon semifinal. Like Halep vs. Konta, this one should also be competitive; three of the six meetings between the German and the American have gone the distance. Based on ranking, Kerber should be the favorite, but current form favors Venus. The Australian Open finalist hasn’t dropped a set so far in Miami, and that includes a win over Indian Wells runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova. As with Halep, though, it would seem to be just a matter of time before Kerber begins to improve. The signs, tentatively, have been there lately. Maybe a Miami night crowd will push her over the edge. Winner: Kerber
Rafael Nadal [5] vs. Jack Sock [13]
We know one thing that we’re going to get in the stadium nightcap: spin. The Spaniard and the American put more of it on their forehands than just about anyone in the game’s history. But this time, Nadal vs. Sock will be more than a novelty act. Sock has been one of the fast risers of 2017, and he would seem to be due for his first Big Four win. At the same time, Rafa is still trying to regain the world-beating form of his prime and fend off the younger generation that Sock represents. Nadal won their only two meetings, in 2015, but Sock grabbed a set each time. He has the game to do more, but does he believe it yet? Winner: Nadal
