If there’s anyone who knows how to make a comeback, it’s Juan Martin del Potro.
Del Potro has been on the receiving end of multiple surgeries, including procedures on both wrists, which have ultimately put unwanted delays on his career. Each time though, the Argentine has been able to make the rebound and assert himself back to the upper echelons of the game.
On Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, he plays a player looking to do the same.
View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following matches from the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itaú & vote for who you think will win!
Del Potro vs Nishikori | Schwartzman vs Raonic | Cilic vs Pospisil
In February, Kei Nishikori made his return from a five-month wrist injury layoff at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Newport Beach. Although he would lose in his first match, he won the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas the following week, slowly working his way back to the world-beating form that has seen him near the top of the ATP Rankings for several seasons now.
No. 5 seed Del Potro and Nishikori, seeded 26th, will face off for the first time since the Citi Open in Washington last season, which saw the Japanese emerge victorious in two sets in the third round. However, their other 2017 meeting went the way of Del Potro, in the third round of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Rome. Overall, Del Potro leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 5-2.
“It could be a very difficult match for me. Kei has a very good two-handed backhand and good returns. And he’s playing well,” said last week’s BNP Paribas Open champion after his three-set victory over Robin Haase in his opening match. “He feels 100 per cent, free of pain on his wrist. And he’s a dangerous guy on Tour. I mean, if he has a good day, he can beat all of the other players. I must play even better than tonight.”
The match will pit the might of the Del Potro forehand against the precision of the Nishikori backhand, two of the most electric shots on the ATP World Tour. While history has shown that the Argentine has been able to hit through Nishikori more than the Japenese has been able to outlast Del Potro from behind the baseline, their combined experience in big-match moments is sure to yield a fascinating contest on Crandon Park’s Stadium court.
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Later in the day, No. 3 seed and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov squares off against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy for a spot in the fourth round.
The two haven’t faced each other since 2016, but if their previous encounters are anything to go by, their third-round affair could be one two watch. Dimitrov owns their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 3-1, but each of their past three matches has gone the distance, including a decisive 10-8 third-set tie-break in Brisbane three years ago.
In a rematch of their Australian Open first-round battle, No. 2 seed Marin Cilic and Canadian Vasek Pospisil will take to the Grandstand court for a place in the fourth round.
Cilic has put together a successful 2018 season so far, and will be looking to hoist his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy after claiming his first in Cincinnati back in 2016. Pospisil, who himself has posted a successful string of results on the ATP Challenger Tour, brings an 0-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record into Sunday’s match with Cilic, but will attempt to use his versatile game and prowess at the net to push the World No. 3 a few steps further than their tight four-setter in Melbourne earlier this season.
Former World No. 3 Milos Raonic and No. 13 seed Diego Schwartzman close out play at Crandon Park in an exciting third round clash of styles – and heights. Although they have met only once before with Raonic, then ranked at No.3 in the ATP Rankings, earning the win last year in Brisbane, the tides – and rankings – have taken a noteworthy turn since. Battling a variety of injuries, the Canadian’s ranking has tumbled; however, the eight-time tour-level titlist appears to be rounding back into form following a semi-final appearance at the BNP Paribas Open last week.
Schwartzman finds himself at a career-high of No. 16 in the ATP Rankings after posting strong results in 2018, including his first ATP World Tour 500 title at the Rio Open presented by Claro. The diminutive Argentine will have to muster his best counterpunching and passing shots if he’s to notch his first win over the 6’5” Canadian, who will be attacking the net behind his cannon of a service delivery.
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