Damien Kayat previews Holger Rune vs Marton Fucsovics and Andrey Rublev vs J.J Wolf in the Selected Round of 64 Matches of the Miami Open, on 24 March 2023.
2023 ATP Tour
ATP 1000
Miami Open
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, USA (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 64 Matches – 24th March
Holger Rune 7/20 | Marton Fucsovics 19/10
19-year-old Danish wunderkind Holger Rune has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the ATP rankings over the last 15 months. He reached five finals last year, winning three titles including his maiden Masters 1000 title in Paris (where he came from a set down to take down the mighty Novak Djokovic).
In Paris he became the first man since the inception of the ATP Tour to beat five top ten players in one event. He possesses an all-court game. He can hit hard from the baseline but also mix it up at the net. He also has a formidable serve that can also help him dictate the flow of matches.
He has looked solid this season, currently owning a 12-6 record for the year. He almost made his 2nd Grand Slam quarterfinal in Melbourne before semi-final runs in Montpelier and Mexico. That performance in Mexico actually helped propel him to a career-best singles ranking of 8.
He went down to veteran Wawrinka at Indian Wells last week and this will be his Miami Open debut.
Inarguably the most shredded man in men’s tennis, Marton Fucsovics’ game went into a state of decline last year. The powerful hardcourt specialist had shown incremental improvements leading into last year. 2021 was a breakthrough year for the Hungarian.
He reached his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon and his first ATP 500 final in Rotterdam. But last year never yielded a final and the 31-year-old needs a solid season to regain some traction.
This year has been a mixed bag, but it has offered some encouraging signs. He opened the year by winning the Canberra Challenger. It was all the more impressive because he broke the 15-match winning streak of Leandro Riedel.
He then suffered heartbreak at the Aussie Open, losing to Jannik Sinner in five sets after leading by two. That 3rd round defeat must have stung and his subsequent results reflected that.
But he looked impressive at Indian Wells, reaching the final 16 of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career. He just came through a tight two-set encounter with Cachin and will feel quietly confident going into this match.
Verdict: Rune to win in three – 13/5
This will be the first career meeting between these two. I think Fucsovics has a puncher’s chance here. He is the type of player who feeds off momentum and will no doubt be energized after his quality showing at Indian Wells.
He can go toe to toe with anyone from the baseline. But can the Hungarian keep those unforced errors down? I think that the Dane will ultimately prevail due to his more expansive repertoire.
Andrey Rublev 1/4 | J.J. Wolf 5/2
This has been a slightly frustrating season for World No.7 Andrey Rublev. He suffered back-to-back first-round defeats in Adelaide to start the year.
But he then managed to reach his 7th Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Aussie Open. However, he was swept off the court by Djokovic in callous fashion (meaning he is still yet to progress to the final four of a Slam).
He then suffered a few middling results before making a run to the Dubai final (his first of the year). He was soundly beaten by Norrie at Indian Wells last week and it’s hard to pinpoint which Rublev will arrive this week.
He has been slightly more inconsistent than usual this year and needs a nice, deep run in one of these bigger events. I feel like one Masters 1000 or Grand Slam victory will open the floodgates for him.
24-year-old American J.J. Wolf used to be most celebrated for his look: white-trash chic. He had that outrageous mullet and an assortment of ‘wife-beaters’ at the ready. It really obscured any focus on his actual tennis.
Also, two hernia operations kept him side-lined for seven months in 2021. But the former college star has really started to evolve over the course of the last year. He picked up some Masters 1000 wins last year and reached his maiden ATP final in Florence.
He also made it to the 3rd round of the US Open- which helped propel him into the top 60 of the world rankings. And he has snuck into the top 40 this year courtesy of some excellent results. He reached the 4th round of the Aussie Open and reached his 2nd tour-level semi-final at the Dallas Open.
He just picked up an impressive straight sets win against the mercurial Alexander Bublik. He will feel confident that fanatical home support could help set the stage for an upset here. He needs that brilliant, whippy serve to be at its optimum level this time out.
Verdict: Rublev to win in three – 13/5
Rublev comfortably won their only previous encounter in Washington last year. This one could actually go either way. J.J. Wolf could get that serve going and feed off the energy of the home crowd. He will need that sliced serve to also be in working condition against a returner of Rublev’s calibre.
Rublev hasn’t been in exceptional form and I think there’s value in a Wolf upset. But I just think Rublev will be massively motivated to perform this week. Rublev to win in three offers some value.
