Alexander Shevchenko vs Hubert Hurkacz Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Miami

Prediction published on 22/03/2024, 11:41  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 23/03/2024 at 10:15 in ATP Miami Prediction

Eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz takes on unseeded Alexander Shevchenko in round two of the Miami Open. A place in the last 32 is up for grabs with the winner playing either 28th seed Sebastian Korda or unseeded Roberto Bautista Agut. Hurkacz has a strong record in this Masters 1000 tournament played on an outdoor hard court. He won the title in 2021 and reached the final the following year. The world number nine remains in that position in the live rankings. In the Live ATP Race he's in 14th place. In singles tournaments this year he's reached two quarter finals and a semi-final. Hurkacz also got to the final of the team United Cup and won three of his five singles matches. His most recent tournament was in Indian Wells where he lost in the last 64 to Gael Monfils. 

To reach the third round, Shevchenko needs to beat Hurkacz for the first time. He's lost their previous two meetings, most recently in Montpellier this year and failing to win a set. Shevchenko was ranked 58th in the latest ranking list and is up to 54th in the live rankings. That's nine places below the career high he set last month. His last tournament didn't go well as he had to retire in his match against Francisco Cerundolo. He has reached two quarter finals this year but had a struggle to make round two in Miami. He had to come from a set down to beat Daniel Elahi Galan in a match that lasted 176 minutes. Only two of his last six matches has ended in victory. We tip Hurkacz to win this in straight sets.