Ricky’s Tennis Picks For Monday in Miami | Federer vs. Krajinovic • Medvedev vs. Opelka

By Ricky Dimon

Roger Federer will be back in action at the Miami Open when he takes the court against Filip Krajinovic on Monday. Federer is looking for a place in the fourth round, where he could run into either Daniil Medvedev or Reilly Opelka. Both Medvedev and Opelka have been in outstanding form this season.

Ricky previews those two matches and makes his predictions:

Filip Krajinovic vs. (4) Roger Federer

Filip Krajinovic of Serbia in action against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland during their match at the Miami Open tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, USA, 23 March 2019. EPA-EFE/JASON SZENES

Federer and Stan Wawrinka figured to complete the head-to-head Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, but Krajinovic had other ideas and staged a comeback victory over Wawrinka on Saturday. Thus it will be Federer vs. Krajinovic for the third time in their careers on Monday. The 37-year-old leads the head-to-head series 2-0, having gotten the job done 6-2, 6-1 at the 2018 Indian Wells Masters and 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 this past fall on the indoor hard courts of Basel.

Krajinovic endured an injury-plagued 2018 season but he will back inside the top 100 following this event (currently No. 103). The 27-year-old Serb preceded his 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5) upset of Wawrinka by beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-4. Federer survived his second-round tilt with Radu Albot 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday evening. Difficult openers are often just what the doctor ordered for the Swiss, who played well enough against Albot and will likely raise his level now that he has match effort under his belt in the new stadium.

Prediction: Federer in 2

(13) Daniil Medvedev vs. Reilly Opelka

Opelka, who is 6’11”, towered over 5’7” Diego Schwartzman on Saturday and the result was a predictably entertaining tennis match. But it progressed in unexpected fashion, with five breaks of serve–and not a single ace being struck by Opelka–taking place in the first set. The 58th-ranked American seized an early lead and ended up holding off the diminutive Argentine, who was spurred on by an energized Argentine crowd, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Thus continued an outstanding start to the season for Opelka, who captured his first career title in New York while beating John Isner for a second time in 2019 along the way.

Next up for the 21-year-old is a second career meeting with Medvedev, who won their only previous contest 6-7(8), 6-3, 7-6(6) at the 2017 Washington, D.C. tournament. Both players have made huge strides since that point in time, but it is Medvedev who has really taken off and now finds himself near the top of the game. The 15th-ranked Russian won three titles last year, added a fourth to his career this year, and boasts a 16-5 record for the season. He coasted through his Miami opener via a 6-2, 6-1 decision against Adrian Mannarino. A red-hot Medvedev generally handles pace without much trouble and he will likely befuddle Opelka with too much variety and consistency.

Prediction: Medvedev in 2

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.