The 2017 Miami Open will be missing some big names in Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. With those two top contenders out of the picture, which player(s) in the remaining field do the tennis experts believe will capitalize and claim the tournament title? Let’s find out by examining their predictions for the 2017 Miami Open.
Aaron Higgs of Steve G. Tennis predicts Roger Federer will get the tournament win in Miami. Federer is coming off victory at Indiana Wells, and has looked as good as ever at age 35. Higgs foresees that Federer will claim his third title of the year against Rafael Nadal. The Swiss master has already beaten his Spanish nemesis twice this season en route to his first two tournament wins, which includes the final of the Australian Open.
Vavel
Semifinals
Finals
Champion
Roger Federer vs. Stan Wawrinka
Rafael Nadal vs. Kei Nishikori
Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer
Vavel‘s Pete Borkowski also foresees Federer going all the way in Miami despite a tough road to the title. Federer is on a collision course with Juan Martin del Potro in the third round, as well as either Roberto Bautista Agut or Sam Querrey in the fourth round. But Borkowski believes Federer will overcome those obstacles, which include fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals, to defeat Nadal in the final.
Tennis Connected
Semifinals
Finals
Champion
Roger Federer vs. Nick Kyrgios
Rafael Nadal vs. Lucas Pouille
Nick Kyrgios vs. Rafael Nadal
Nick Kyrgios
Tennis Connected columnist Charles Blouin-Gascon agrees with his other two colleagues that Nadal will ultimately be the losing finalist in Miami. However, he’s gone against the grain and picked the mercurial Nick Kyrgios to topple Federer in the semifinal round and eventually beat Nadal in the final to claim the title.
It’s a gutsy call by Blouin-Gascon, but not completely outlandish, especially with Kyrgios playing some excellent tennis at the moment. The Aussie has knocked out World No. 2 Novak Djokovic twice in his last two tournaments, which is quite a feat. He might have gone further in Indian Wells, but had to withdraw from his quarterfinal matchup with Federer due to illness. But as Blouin-Gascon predicts, Kyrgios will get his chance to redeem himself in this tournament.
