Snow on the Beach: Top 5 Picks to Win in the Miami Open

The Miami Open, alternatively known as the Miami Masters, is a part of the ATP Masters 1000 and is considered one of the toughest competitions held in the hard courts of the Hard Rock Stadium. Originally slated between late March and early April, it is the second leg of the Sunshine Double event, just behind the Indian Wells Open – two hard court tournaments in the United States that are held in early spring. This has seen a total of four changes in venues. The initial Miami Open was held in Delray Beach in 1985, before moving on to the Boca West (1986) and the Key Biscayne from 1987 to 2018.

Medvedev may have not been off to a promising start this season, but there is plenty of reason to expect why he can pull off a huge burst in the campaign, let alone defend his title in the Miami Masters. So far, the Russian star has managed to come up with an appearance in the final of the Australian Open this year, which just increases his odds to win in the Miami Open as well. On top of that, he has made some interesting leaps in the Indian Wells, which should just mean that Medvedev can shock the world with a deep run in Miami as well.

Of course, the winner of the 2024 Australian Open should definitely be on this list for his impressive pace in the season. As of the time of writing, Sinner has already bagged two tournaments, with thew ATP Rotterdam event being his second title of the year. Sinner’s impressive campaign this year has seen him make a leap towards the third spot in the ATP Tour Rankings, and he is even poised to make a climb to the top if he can win in the Masters 1000 event.

Carlos Alcaraz comes back from an injury that he suffered in the Rio Open. The world no. 2 has already made it clear that he will be playing for the Sunshine Double, and it is no wonder that Alcaraz continues to shine bright at the age of 20. His unpredictable nature in the biggest games of the previous seasons have proved that Alcaraz has what it takes to be the next face of the ATP Tour, and winning the second leg of the Sunshine Double is going to be his big climb that will put him closer to Djokovic in the race to the top.

With Djokovic falling short in the Indian Wells, it seems that his next focus would be to come up with a huge campaign in the Miami Open. The world no. 1 dropped points in the past few months after failing to come up with winning strides in the Australian Open and the Indian Wells, and his position at the top is now in danger of being overtaken by either Alcaraz or Sinner. This is why the Serbian star needs to come up with a bigger run if he hopes to sustain his reign at the top of the ATP Tour.

Zverev has seen no luck in all of the four tournaments that he has played in to begin this season, and it does seem that he is going to need all the points he can tally in the upcoming games at the Miami Open if he is going to prove to the rest of the world that he is still a relevant star to beat in the ATP Tour. As one of the older veterans in the top 10, it does seem that Zverev needs to prove his case as a gunning star in the campaign, especially when you are just thousands of points away from getting back to the chase for the top spot.

Coco Gauff emerges as the favorite to win in the Women’s Miami Open as she is considered to be on the hot pace this season. While many other fans believe that Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka has bigger chances, Gauff’s incredible pace in the current season – playing on four tournaments at a consistent pace even if she failed to rack up some valuable points. A tournament win will give her the lift she needs to join the mix in the top spot race, and this is what she is aiming to come up with now more than ever.

The top star of the WTA Tour is expected to make some noise in the Miami Masters. Building off her success in the Qatar Open where she emerged as the champion, Swiatek is definitely a hot pick who can win in the WTA’s Miami Open. Swiatek is coming up as a winning player in the competition considering that she has enjoyed some impeccable pace in her games in the past few months, this is why you should consider her in betting on the Miami Masters.

As the defending champion, it is rare for Petra Kvitova to be placed as an underdog in the competition. Still, that’s what she worked with when she emerged as the winner last season, and it should be comfortable for her to come up with another title win. As the world no. 18 in the WTA Rankings, Kvitova’s win in this Miami Masters should lift her up easily into the top 10 if she ever gets lucky enough to make second-straight title win in the Masters 1000 event.