Men’s Singles - Round 3
Dudi Sela (ISR) vs. Jose Acasuso (ARG)
Sela pulled off an upset in the second round, defeating #14 Tommy Robredo 7-6(5), 6-1. He came into the tournament ranked #61 in the world, and with a 3-7 record on the year. This is the first time he is playing singles in Miami.
Acasuso, like Sela, pulled off an upset in the second round as well. He beat #21 Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 7-5(4) in the second round, and came into the tournament ranked #45 in the world. He did reach the finals in Buenos Aires earlier this year, before falling to Nalbandian in three sets.
Match-Up:
This is the first career meeting between these two players, and should be a good one. Acasuso has a big first serve and has had more success on clay than on the hard courts. He hits the ball very hard from both sides, and can move as well. Sela is a little guy (5’9”), but is as quick as anyone on the ATP Tour. With his quickness he is able to offset the power of his opponents, but in this match I am going to give a slight edge to Acasuso. This match could go either way, but…
Nick’s Pick – Acasuso in 3 sets
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs. Julien Benneteau (FRA)
Tsonga struggled early in his match against Jurgen Melzer in the second round, but rebounded in the third set to win 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1. This is the first time he is playing in Miami, and I am sure the fans are enjoying his flamboyant style!
I closely watched Benneteau’s second round match against Ivo Karlovic. I came away very impressed with him, especially with his ability to return the big Karlovic serve. He came into the tournament ranked #72 in the world, and he did reach the finals at Bergamo earlier this year.
Match-Up:
This will be a different kind of match for Benneteau. Against Karlovic, the big thing is getting the serve back in play. Once you do that against Karlovic, you can really control the points. Against Tsonga, he is going to have to do more than just return the serve and hit a couple of good groundstrokes. Tsonga can do much more than Karlovic once the ball is in play, and you can bet he is going to have the fans behind him too!
Benneteau moves well, has a solid forehand and backhand, and has a great return of serve. He is going to have to chances and really force the issue in this match to beat his fellow Frenchman.
Nick’s Pick – Tsonga in three tough sets
Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Nicolas Kiefer (GER)
Nadal looked good in the second round, when he defeated Agassi-slayer, Benjamin Becker, 7-5, 6-2. With Djokokvic out now, that leaves Nadal as one of the heavy favorites to win this tournament.
Kiefer has had a good first two rounds. He may have caught a break in the first round when fellow German Tommy Haas pulled out. Then, in the second round he upset #25 Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-2.
Match-Up:
Kiefer is going to have to be ready to run, run, run in this match. Nadal is going to pound forehands with heavy spin to each corner and this will keep Kiefer six to eight feet behind the baseline. If Kiefer stays back there the whole match, this will be over quickly. He has to come in and force the issue and take risks. Kiefer has a very good forehand and a solid serve, but I think his run ends here.
Nick’s Pick – Nadal in 2 sets.
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