As the remaining players in the draw fight for a spot in the final, we preview and predict three must-see matches in Key Biscayne.
Singles play at the Miami Open on Wednesday begins with two women on a rankings rise. Since Jan. 1, Azarenka has moved from No. 22 to No. 8, while Konta has gone from No. 47 to No. 23. Their current spots argue for an Azarenka win, but their form says it should be a competitive, high-quality affair. Each has had her easy matchups in Miami, but each has also come up big when needed—Konta escaped Elena Vesnina in a third-set tiebreaker, while Azarenka did the same in two breakers against Garbiñe Muguruza. Azarenka and Konta have met once, last year in Wuhan, in a match that ended with Vika retiring after losing the first set. This one will reside on Azarenka’s racquet; while Konta is solid, she’s not as explosive. Vika’s racquet has been doing some good work of late.
Winner: Azarenka
The night session begins with a highly-anticipated contrast in styles. The last two times the American power player faced the German defense specialist, sparks flew—winners, too. In 2014, on grass in the Eastbourne final, Keys beat Kerber 7-5 in the third set. In 2015, Kerber turned the tables on clay in the Charleston final, also winning 7-5 in the third set. Both times Keys’ heavy hitting and Kerber’s dogged retrieving resulted in some spectacular rallies. Can they go the distance again in a hard-court quarterfinal? Kerber, the Aussie Open winner, has had the better year, but Keys, after a slow start to the season, hasn’t dropped a set in Miami with new coach Mats Wilander in her corner.
Winner: Keys
These two spent Tuesday afternoon laboring in the humidity, so a (hopefully cooler) night session is well-deserved. Unfortunately for Berdych, no amount of extra rest can help him change his 2-22 career record against Djokovic, who has won their last nine meetings. Many of those wins have been fairly close, including his 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory in the Doha final two months ago. And while Djokovic hasn’t dropped a set yet in Miami, he hasn’t been at his best, either. All of which should lead us to believe that Berdych will make it tight, but Djokovic will win. History doesn’t always repeat itself, but 22-2 is pretty darn close.
Winner: Djokovic