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The Miami Open is underway, and there are another 1000 ranking points up for grabs for the man and the woman good enough to make it through this field in southern Florida. I’ve got a couple plays for the first round and I’ll divulge below.
Jack Sock (+110) vs. Miomir Kecmanovic (-136)
Let me say this, first of all. Miomir Kecmanovic has had an excellent season, and I’ve recommended betting on him many times. He’s really improved his overall game drastically, adding more pop to his forehand to harness some of that raw talent he has.
With that being said, one of the memorable losses he had this year was against Francisco Cerundolo — a player far inferior to him — in Argentina. There, it seemed nothing was going to stop Cerundolo, who had incredible fan support. I see a similar story unfolding on Thursday in Miami.
Jack Sock isn’t from Miami, but he is American — and wherever he goes people seem to follow. As a former top-10 player, many come to watch him play, which is the reason he earns so many wild-cards into events. I expect a raucous atmosphere on one of the Miami Open’s biggest courts tonight.
The conditions should be very similar to those he played in in his last round of qualifying, where he demolished a good opponent in Steve Johnson. I love taking Sock in a match where heat won’t be a factor and there may even be a little wind, which should make his topspin forehand all the more effective.
Edge: Sock +110
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Federico Delbonis (+410) vs. Andy Murray (-589)
I really wanted to talk about this match just so I could inform everyone that Federico Delbonis hasn’t had a winning season on hardcourts in six years. He is 65-87 on the surface across all levels in his career, and that’s actually being generous since he was 28-12 early in his career just playing ITF tournaments.
Anyway, these courts are not going to suit him. We saw him get leveled at Indian Wells by Nick Kyrgios, which is just about the only hardcourt event Delbonis would have a prayer at. On these quicker courts, I’d expect Murray to dominate and win a ton of points on serve, and I’m also very worried for Delbonis when it comes to Murray’s speed. The Argentine likes to play the drop shot regularly as a clay-court master.
I am shocked we can still get 4.5 games here considering how big of a mismatch this is.
Edge: Murray -4.5 Games
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