Cameron Norrie is preparing to face Alex Michelsen in the second round of the Miami Masters. Following first-round byes, Norrie and Michelsen are set to kick off their campaigns.
Norrie and Michelsen’s Previous Encounters
Norrie and Michelsen will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers. They faced each other in back-to-back weeks around this time last year, splitting the two encounters. Norrie prevailed 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 on the indoor hard courts of Dallas. Michelsen then got revenge with a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory in Delray Beach.
Match Preview: Norrie vs Michelsen
Michelsen, ranked 40th, missed out on a first-round bye this week. However, that may not necessarily be a bad thing, as the 21-year-old has adjusted to the change in conditions from Indian Wells to Miami. He trounced Mattia Bellucci 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday.
Norrie is coming off a quarterfinal result in the desert, but he has always been much better there than in South Beach. The 24th-ranked Brit is a mere 5-7 lifetime at this Masters 1000 event and has lost his opening match in two of his last three appearances.
Predictions for the Match
One prediction is for Michelsen to win in 3 sets. Despite Michelsen’s strong first serve performance, with 79% accuracy against Bellucci, there were concerns about his second serve, winning only 2/11 points and having to save 6 break points. Another prediction suggests a close match with Norrie, potentially with Norrie edging it: 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-2.
Moutet vs Machac
Corentin Moutet faces Tomas Machac. Despite Machac’s first-match win, his performance included quite a few more errors than winners. The prediction is for Moutet to win in 3 sets: 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.