Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are set for a blockbuster quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday in Miami. Roger Federer is also in action as he goes up against Kei Nishikori.
(6) Andy Murray vs. (2) Novak Djokovic
Murray and Djokovic will be squaring off for the 20th time in their careers when they do battle in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open Tennis tournament on Wednesday. Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 11-8, including 9-7 on hard courts. They faced each other twice last season, with Djokovic prevailing 6-7(2), 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-2 at the Australian Open before Murray scored revenge via a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 decision for his biggest-ever win in the Wimbledon final.
Coming off a title in Indian Wells, Djokovic has remained in fine form with defeats of Jeremy Chardy and Tommy Robredo (he also got a walkover past Florian Mayer). Murray’s tournament began with a split from Ivan Lendl and he lost his opening set to Matthew Ebden. Since then, however, the Scot has been crushing opponents. Full-time coach or no full-time coach, Murray is always comfortable in Miami. Look for the defending champion to pull off what would have to be considered a slight upset.
Pick: Murray in 3
(5) Roger Federer vs. (20) Kei Nishikori
Federer and Nishikori took very different routes to the Miami quarterfinals. On the much more difficult end, Nishikori outlasted David Ferrer in a third-set tiebreaker on Tuesday after saving four match points. Japan’s top player also beat Grigor Dimitrov in two tight sets after getting past Marinko Matosevic in easier fashion. Federer has not dropped a set in victories over Ivo Karlovic, Thiemo De Bakker, and Richard Gasquet. Only Karlovic was remotely competitive against the 17-time Grand Slam champion.
The head-to-head series stands at 1-1. Federer dominated 6-1, 6-3 in the 2011 Basel final but Nishikori scored a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory on the clay courts of last season’s Madrid Masters. Nishikori is playing some of the best tennis of his career, but whether or not he really believes against the very best in the world remains to be seen. He should at least be more competitive than Gasquet was on Tuesday.
Pick: Federer in 2 losing 8 games or fewer
