Miami Open Tennis draw: Medvedev-Murray possible in second round, Tsitsipas in tough section

By Ricky Dimon

There is no time being wasted in between the two components of the annual “Sunshine Double.” The BNP Paribas Open just ended on Sunday and the Miami Open draw ceremony was held on Monday.

There were some wild overall results and individual matches in the desert, and that could continue in South Beach. The entirety of the Big 3 is out (Novak Djokovic is unvaccinated, Rafael Nadal is resting up for clay, and Roger Federer is hurt) and nobody among the top three seeds is in great form (Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas). Therefore don’t be surprised if we see something in Miami similar to what was witnessed in Indian Wells (two players outside the top 20 reached the semifinals and world No. 20 Tayor Fritz captured the title).

Things could get especially interesting in Tsitsipas’ section of the Miami draw. Carlos Alcaraz joined Fritz in the Indian Wells semis and both players find themselves near Tsitsipas in this draw. The third-seeded Greek could meet Alcaraz in the last 16 and Fritz in the quarters. Of course, Fritz especially won’t get caught looking ahead. The 24-year-old American may have to face Botic Van de Zandschulp right off the bat, Fritz’s good friend Tommy Paul may be next after that, and possible fourth-round foes are Felix Auger-Aliassime, Sebastian Korda, and Miomir Kecmanovic. Korda led Nadal by a double-break at 5-2 in the third set of their Indian Wells second-round match, while Kecmanovic made a run to the quarters before falling to Fritz. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas and Alcaraz are on a collision course for the fourth round.

On the other side of the top half, Medvedev’s opener is likely to come against three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray. Defending champion Hubert Hurkacz is the other top eight seed in that quarter, while Denis Shapovalov could also be a contender.

Medvedev-Murray isn’t the only potential blockbuster matchup in the second round. If Nick Kyrgios wins his opening match, he will run into Andrey Rublev. Kyrgios is coming off a quarterfinal effort in the desert (lost to Nadal); Rublev advanced to the semis (lost to Fritz). Jannik Sinner, who finished runner-up to Hurkacz last spring, is also in the Rublev section along with Matteo Berrettini, Reilly Opelka, Gael Monfils, and Frances Tiafoe.

Zverev’s path through the bottom quarter could include Grigor Dimitrov in the last 32, Diego Schwartzman in the round of 16, and either Casper Ruud, Cameron Norrie, or 2018 Miami champion John Isner.

See the full Miami draw on the ATP website

Ricky contributes to10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.