Teen Titans Collide: Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko renew rising rivalry in Miami

Before each day's play at the Miami Open, we'll preview three must-stream matches, on the Tennis Channel app.

Jakub Mensik vs. Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe and Mensik have had similar peaks and valleys over the past year. Last July, the American reached a season-high No. 11; a month later, the Czech rose to a career-high No. 16. From there, though, their seasons went south. Wins were hard to come by, and their rankings dropped—all the way to No. 30 in Tiafoe’s case.

What both guys needed, it seemed, was a couple months off and a fresh start. So far in 2026, Tiafoe has gone 13-6, made the final at the 500 in Acapulco, and cracked the Top 20 again. Mensik, meanwhile, is 14-5, with a title in Auckland. He hit a career-high No. 12 this month.

Tiafoe credits new coach Mark Kovacs for toughening up his training

“I got a little bit of a drill sergeant right now in Mark,” he says of Kovacs. “If you have a coach that’s stern and on you, man, you’re like, ‘I’ve got to wake up, and I gotta do it.’”

“It’s starting to come together, and it feels good.”

Read More: “Every percent matters”: Jakub Mensik crunches the numbers in Miami title defense

Miami is an important moment for both men. Mensik is defending 1000 champion’s points from 2025; a loss at this stage would slow his rise considerably. For his part, Tiafoe knows this will be his last chance to play on hard courts, in front of a home audience, until July.

They’ve met once before, in Davis Cup last year, and Mensik won 6-1, 6-4. At 6’5, if his serve is clicking, he’s a tough out on a quick hard court, as he showed here last year. But after the serve, Tiafoe has a more varied game. Just as important, he seems to be enjoying the grind again. Winner: Tiafoe

Mirra Andreeva vs. Victoria Mboko

They’re still in their teens, and they’re already in the Top 10. Which means the chances are good we’ll them see play a Grand Slam final or two someday. We might even seem that at No. 1 and 2 in the world. Right now, though, they’re in the process of getting to know each other better. Andreeva and Mboko have teamed up to play doubles in Indian Wells and Miami, and their singles match on Monday will be their third of 2026.

They split the first two. Andreeva won easily in the Adelaide final at the start of the year, before Mboko squeaked the second one out, 7-6 in the third set, in the third round in Doha.

Both have good records in 2026—Mboko is 18-5, Andreeva 14-5. But while Andreeva came out hot in Australia, Mboko has quietly built momentum since, making the final in Doha and the quarters in Indian Wells.

Andreeva is obviously a top-tier talent, with lots of defensive range and a clean backhand strike. But she’s also volatile. Mboko has similar strengths; she can run fast and hit deceptively hard from both sides. But she has fewer emotional ups and downs, and a knack for comebacks. I’ll take her on these fairly quick hard courts, in front of what should be a supportive crowd. Winner: Mboko

Amanda Anisimova vs. Belinda Bencic

Bencic and Anisimova were teen prodigies who fell short of expectations at first, but have lived to play another day. Right now the American is ranked sixth, and the Swiss is 12th. Which makes this a pretty high-powered matchup for a fourth round in Miami.

High-powered, and likely competitive. Bencic and Anisimova are 2-2, though Bencic won their only meeting of the last three years, in Indian Wells last spring.

It’s an interesting matchup. Anisimova is a born attacker; with her 5’11 frame and excellent timing, she almost can’t help belting the ball at top speed with every swing. Bencic, by contrast, is a born counter-puncher and power-absorber. With her soft hands and court sense, she likes nothing more than to take her opponent’s pace and redirect it.

That would seem to make Anisimova an ideal opponent for Bencic’s purposes. But I’ll take the American anyway. I like the way she’s competed in Miami, after suffering a bad loss to Mboko last week in Indian Wells. And if she’s hitting her spots, Bencic won’t have many balls to redirect. Winner: Anisimova