Each day before play at the Miami Open, we’ll preview and predict three—in this case, four—must-see matches.
Karolina Pliskova [2] vs. Caroline Wozniacki [12]
The Czech and the Dane have been playing as well as anyone over the last two months, and this is the second time they’ve met late in a tournament in 2017. The first came in the Doha final in February, and that was also the first time in four tries that Pliskova has beaten Wozniacki. The scores were 6-3, 6-4, but as usual when Wozniacki is involved, the points were arduous and the match was closer than it appeared. The question now is whether Pliskova will have the patience to do it again on a slower hard court in Miami. The match will be squarely on her racquet. But it usually is, and so far this year, that racquet has given her a 23-3 record. Winner: Pliskova
Roger Federer [4] vs. Tomas Berdych [10]
Federer is 17-6 against Berdych and has won their last six meetings, including a convincing 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory in the third round at the Australian Open in January. Is there any reason to think that Berdych can turn the tables this time? Federer has played a lot of tennis over the last three weeks, and he did look a little gassed in his last match, against Roberto Bautista Agut, on Tuesday. Berdych also has a win over Federer in Miami, in 2010. And you have to believe at some point that his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, will have some type of positive effect on his game, the way he did on Marin Cilic’s in 2014. But the percentages say it won’t be positive enough to get him past Federer this time. Winner: Federer
Nick Kyrgios [12] vs. Alexander Zverev [16]
Three weeks ago in Indian Wells, the 21-year-old Aussie and the 19-year-old German faced off for the first time. What we learned was that while 21 may not sound much older than 19, it can make a world of difference in pro tennis. Kyrgios took Zverev out of his game early with his powerful serve and improved ground strokes, and never let him back in. Since then, Zverev has played with more spirit and aggression in knocking off John Isner and Stan Wawrinka in three sets in Miami. Has the boy become a man over that time, or is he due for another lesson? I’m going with the latter. Kyrgios is on a roll at the moment. Winner: Kyrgios
Johanna Konta [10] vs. Venus Williams [11]
Like the first women’s semi on Thursday, this one will feature two of 2017’s best. Konta is 17-3 on the season, while Venus, runner-up at the Australian Open, is coming off one of her finest performances of this decade, a straight-set win over world No. 1 Angelique Kerber. There shouldn’t be much separating the American and the Brit in this nightcap meeting. Konta leads their head-to-head 2-1, but two of those matches have gone the distance; Venus’ win in Wuhan in 2015, 7-5 in the third, was an excellent match all the way to the end. Both of these women will be working with no days rest, and this match could be decided by who bounces back more quickly. You might think that would be Konta, who at 25 is 11 years Venus’ junior. But Konta played the longer quarterfinal in the heat of the day on Wednesday, and nothing seems to stop Venus. Winner: V. Williams
