Miami Open tennis preview, predictions and best bets: Door open with Big 3 out

Felix Auger-Aliassime
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Ricky Dimon

Tennis

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Since graduating from Davidson (The College That Stephen Curry Built), I have been writing about sports -- just about any and all you can think of! -- and coaching tennis in Atlanta, GA. Beyond the four major sports, I am an avid tennis fan and cover the ATP Tour on a daily basis. If I'm not busy writing, you can generally find me on a tennis court or traveling the world wherever a sporting event takes me. For Ricky Dimon media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.
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We are in the middle of the annual “Sunshine Double,” which features premier tennis events in Indian Wells, California and Miami, Florida. The Indian Wells event ended on Sunday and now players are not wasting any time taking their talents to South Beach, where the festivities begin on Wednesday.

Let’s take look at the odds and best bets to be made on both the men’s and women’s sides in Miami.

Miami Open men’s singles odds

Here are the odds for the Miami Open men’s singles tournament, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Daniil Medvedev +250
Carlos Alcaraz +500
Alexander Zverev +600
Stefanos Tsitsipas +1000
Andrey Rublev +1200
Felix Auger-Aliassime +1400
Nick Kyrgios +2500
Matteo Berrettini +2500
Jannik Sinner +2500
Cameron Norrie +2500
Taylor Fritz +2500
Hubert Hurkacz +3500
Casper Ruud +3500

Miami Open 3-star value play: Felix Auger-Aliassime (+1400)

Felix Auger-Aliassime is one of the streakiest players in tennis, a boom-or-bust kind of proposition. He generally either flames out early at a tournament or goes a long, long way. That often makes him a valuable outright winner play, given his title-winning potential at every tournament in which he participates. Miami is no exception – especially at +1400 odds. With Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all sidelined, the door is wide open for everyone else.

So far this season, the 21-year-old Canadian has a title in Rotterdam (plus a team title with Canada at the ATP Cup), a runner-up (Marseille), and a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open (lost to Daniil Medvedev in five sets after having a match point). Auger-Aliassime lost early in Indian Wells, so he will be well-rested for Miami – where he advanced to the semis as an 18-year-old.

Miami Open 2-star value play: Reilly Opelka (+5000)

Conditions in Miami are great for big servers. Don’t forget that John Isner won it in 2018 and finished runner-up to Roger Federer in 2019. At the moment, Reilly Opelka is a bigger and better (and younger) version of Isner. The 6’11” American is coming off a 4th-round appearance in Indian Wells (lost to Nadal) and he has a favorable draw in Miami with nobody in his quarter ranked higher than No. 6 (Matteo Berrettini).

Miami Open 1-star value play: Daniil Medvedev (+250)

Should Medvedev win the tournament? Yes. He is the best player in the field with Djokovic and Nadal absent. I don’t absolutely love the value at +250, but it’s also not terrible considering that other top contenders like Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas aren’t in great form.

Miami Open women’s singles odds

Here are the odds for the Miami women’s singles tournament, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Iga Swiatek +450
Simona Halep +800
Anett Kontaveit +1300
Paula Badosa +1400
Maria Sakkari +1400
Aryna Sabalenka +1400
Naomi Osaka +1600
Emma Raducanu +2200
Garbine Muguruza +2500
Danielle Collins +2500
Jelena Ostapenko +2500
Victoria Azarenka +2800
Ons Jabeur +2800
Karolina Pliskova +2800
Elena Rybakina +2800
Coco Gauff +2800

Miami 3-star value play: Anett Kontaveit (+1300)

Since Indian Wells last fall, Kontaveit has reached an incredible 5 finals and won 2 titles in her last 7 tournaments. Indian Wells last week was not one of those tournaments, but a relatively early exit means the 7th-ranked Estonian will be well-rested for Miami. She is in the top half of the bracket that is far weaker than the bottom, so her hot streak has every reason to continue.

Miami 2-star value play: Simona Halep (+800)

Halep’s draw isn’t quite as easy as Kontaveit’s, but the 2 highest seeds in her quarter are a struggling Aryna Sabalenka and a rusty Karolina Pliskova – who has been out all season due to injury. With one title already under her belt in 2022 (in Melbourne prior to the Australian Open) and a semifinal performance in Indian Wells (lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek), Halep has some momentum.

Miami 1-star value play: Coco Gauff (+2800)

You just know Gauff is going to break through sometime soon, and there is no reason why it can’t happen in Miami. Relatively speaking, the pressure is off. Fellow youngsters like Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez are saddled with more expectations now following their runs to the 2021 U.S. Open final. Gauff is in the tougher half of the Miami draw, but if Swiatek is fatigued following her Indian Wells triumph then the teenager could capitalize.

The Pickswise tennis handicappers are on hand throughout the entire tennis season, bringing you the best free expert Tennis predictions and picks from top events including the U.S. Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

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