Defending champ Medvedev, in-form Sinner in same half of Miami draw

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

Could Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner be set for a rematch of their Australian Open final thriller at the Miami Open presented by Itau?

The pair could face off in the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event, where Medvedev edged Sinner to claim the title a year ago, after both were placed in the bottom half of the draw. Neither player will take reaching the last four for granted at Hard Rock Stadium, however, as the world’s top stars chase success in the second leg of March’s ‘Sunshine Double’.

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The 20-time tour-level titlist Medvedev, who is remarkably bidding to win the same event twice for the first time, begins his campaign against Max Purcell or Marton Fucsovics. Two of the ATP Tour’s in-form players — Ugo Humbert and Sebastian Baez — are potential fourth-round opponents for Medvedev, while 2022 Miami finalist Casper Ruud could await in the quarter-finals.

Sinner’s path in Miami begins against Pedro Cachin or a qualifier. The Italian is looking to bounce back quickly after Carlos Alcaraz snapped his 16-match winning start to the 2024 season in the Indian Wells semi-finals. The Italian could face the other losing semi-finalist in California, Tommy Paul, in the fourth round. Eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz, who beat Sinner in the Miami final in 2021, is seeded to be his quarter-final opponent.

In the top half of the draw, top seed Alcaraz is aiming to become the first man to complete the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’ since Roger Federer in 2017. The Indian Wells champion meets Aleksandar Vukic or Roberto Carballes Baena in his opening match. The 16th-seeded home favourite Ben Shelton is a possible fourth-round opponent for Alcaraz, who won the pair’s sole previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting in Toronto last year.

Shelton is currently the American No. 2 behind Taylor Fritz. The 12th-seeded Fritz faces a tough start to his Miami campaign against Los Cabos champion Jordan Thompson or Nuno Borges, who successfully defended his title at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Phoenix last week.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev could face a big-serving battle with Felix Auger-Aliassime in his opener. Zverev, a finalist in Miami in 2018, will play the winner of the first-round clash between Auger-Aliassime and a qualifier.

Kei Nishikori’s first ATP Tour opponent for seven months will be Sebastian Ofner. The Japanese former World No. 4 Nishikori, who reached the final in Miami in 2016, has not played since last July at the Atlanta Open due to injury.

Matteo Berrettini, who reached the final of last week's Phoenix Challenger, will take a 3-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead over Andy Murray into an intriguing first-round showdown.