Event of the Day: The Miami Open
Our event of the day is the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The tournament begins in earnest today with the start of the competition for the men and the second day for the women. There are plenty of exciting matches today so be sure you don’t miss the start of this ever-competitive tennis tournament. Tennis moves from California to Florida with the Miami Open. All eyes will be on eighteen-year-old Bianca Andreescu. The Canadian became the first wild card entrant to win the prestigious BNP Paribas Open on Sunday after a stunning tournament run. She will look to continue this white-hot start to her career in Miami, starting with a rematch of her Indian Wells Round of 128 fixture against Irina-Camelia Begu. Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Andreescu’s compatriot Eugenie Bouchard is already out of the tournament, putting another dent in her goal of making 2019 her “golden year”. The second qualifying seed lost to the unseeded Nao Hibino and will have now to wait until April for her next chance in a tournament. The bottom quarter of the women’s draw is particularly exciting. Elina Svitolina made the semifinals at Indian Wells and plays in Miami as a dangerous sixth seed. Serena Williams also resides in the bottom quarter as the tenth seed and will be eager to improve on her performance from last year, where she lost to Naomi Osaka in the Round of 128. Also in the bottom quarter is Venus Williams, young American star Danielle Collins and second seed Simona Halep.
In the men’s draw, Rafael Nadal will not appear in the tournament as he recovers from the injury that forced him to withdraw from the semifinals in Indian Wells. Overall, the men’s game is seeing something of a changing of the guard. Seven of the last fifteen ATP Masters 1000 level tournaments have been won by first time winners at that level, compared to seven first-time winners in the eighty-six tournaments prior to the Rome Open in 2017. Over the last two years, names like Roger Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic are losing out more than they used to in these second tier tournaments. Looking to be part of that new guard will be Alexander Zverev. The young German sensation has not had the best season so far with a persisting ankle injury hampering his performance. However, Zverev is 8-2 in the last two years in Miami, including an appearance in the final last year. The tournament will also be a chance for Federer to rebound after a bruising loss in the final at Indian Wells. He is the fourth seed and will be eager to make short work of the marginally easier draw he has been given. Be sure you don’t miss the exciting day of tennis action.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NBA, where the Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers are on a four-game win streak, including a win over the high-flying Milwaukee Bucks. The 76ers are third in the East and will be eager to hold that seeding as the NBA season enters its final weeks. Meanwhile, the Celtics are fifth and fighting to be competitive as they compete with the Pacers for fourth place in the seedings. The Celtics are on a three-game winning streak and will look to put pressure on the 76ers. Be sure you don’t miss this must-watch match. Elsewhere, in the Women’s Champions League, Barcelona host LSK Kvinner at the Mini Estadi in Barcelona. In the NHL, the Washington Capitals host the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Capital One Arena. In snooker, The Tour Championships continue in Llandudno in Wales. The MLB season starts today at the Tokyo Dome in Japan with the Seattle Mariners facing the Oakland A’s.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by WTA; ATP Tour