Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Sunday 30th March)

The last match in Miami is set to feature a veteran Champion clinging onto his spot amongst the elite and a young, up and coming player who will want to become the next big star representing Czechia.

It is an intriguing Final, but you can read my thoughts below and the reason I am favouring Novak Djokovic to win a seventh title at the event.

After Aryna Sabalenka's strong win in the WTA Final, the Tennis Picks will be ending with a positive return from the event regardless of the outcome in the ATP Final.

Of course chasing one more winner is still the ambition with the tournament coming to a conclusion on Sunday, while most of the Tour are already preparing for the clay court season.

Novak Djokovic - 3.5 games v Jakub Mensik: There are already so many records held by Novak Djokovic in the world of tennis and he can become the player with the most titles in Miami if he is able to win on Sunday. At the moment Novak Djokovic shares the record with Andre Agassi with both players having secured six titles here, but the former World Number 1 has an opportunity to secure a very positive time in South Florida by winning a seventh.

He has not played in the Miami Final since 2016 when winning the last of three straight titles here and Novak Djokovic has produced some of his best tennis over the last several days to earn this shot.

The Semi Final proved to be a routine day in the office for Novak Djokovic as he once again got the better of Grigor Dimitrov and he has continued to pile the pressure on his opponents through strong serving. That has freed up the best return player of all time to take his chances at attacking on the return and Novak Djokovic has found a strong balance in his tennis to make him the favourite to win another title in Miami.

His opponent in the Miami Final has plenty of supporters and at 19 years old there is a feeling that Jakub Mensik will develop into a top 15 player at the worst. Three top 18 Ranked players have been beaten in the tournament, which will have given Jakub Mensik plenty of confidence, and he is already guaranteed a spot in the top 30 in the World Rankings at the end of this tournament.

The serve is going to be a big weapon for the player from Czechia over the next decade and it has proven to be very important in this tournament.

However, Jakub Mensik has not been nearly as effective on the return of serve and you have to believe that a veteran with the qualities of Novak Djokovic will find a way to get into the return games.

His win over Taylor Fritz will have given Jakub Mensik a huge amount of belief that he can compete with the best players on the Tour. It should also mean he can make this more competitive than when he was beaten by Novak Djokovic in Shanghai at the end of last year, although closing the gap is still a big ask of the teenager.

As may have been expected, Jakub Mensik struggled on the return when these two met in Shanghai and the Novak Djokovic return built up the pressure on the youngster. He was able to keep himself together for a while, but ultimately that pressure told and something similar could happen in the Miami Final with Novak Djokovic finding a way to break down Jakub Mensik and ultimately lead to a cover in the Miami Final.

MY PICK: Novak Djokovic - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 14-9, + 2.86 Units (23 Units Staked, + 12.43% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2025- William Zepeda vs Tevin Farmer II (Saturday 29th March)

With Terence Crawford set to leave the Light Middleweight Division permanently, it has opened things up for those left behind.

Sebastian Fundora has already taken advantage of some of the uncertainty and he produced a big win last week and is now looking to be a little more active than he has been after upsetting Tim Tszyu.

His next challenger looks to be lined up as unbeaten Xander Zayas has had his mandatory called, while Vergil Ortiz Jr will be looking to build on a big win of his own having secured an Interim World Title.

Fighters like Serhii Bohachuk, Erickson Lubin, Jesus Ramos and Callum Walsh should be in the mix and Tim Tszyu is back in early April as he begins a rebuild of his own after back to back losses. In the near future we can expect Jaron Ennis to join these names at the very top of the Light Middleweight Division, although his current ambition is to clear out the Welterweight Division, beginning with Eimantas Stanionis in April.

The big cards continue to be put out by the promoters and there are a couple of good looking headliners this weekend, although both are going to be taking place in the early hours of Sunday morning for those of us in the United Kingdom.

Both are also rematches of tight first fights with controversy attached.

Mikaela Mayer has to be given a lot of credit for offering Sandy Ryan a rematch considering the American has been on the wrong end of a couple of Decisions she felt she had earned and without having an opportunity to put those defeats right.

The winner is almost certainly going to be in line for a big fight against Lauren Price, who holds the other three World Titles in the Welterweight Division and there is little love lost between Mayer and Ryan, which should mean another fun, exciting battle between the two.

Over in Mexico William Zepeda has an opportunity to make a clearer statement in a bout against Tevin Farmer after earning a Decision win that many felt could have gone the other way.

A really poor run has put the 2025 Boxing Picks in a tough position, but March has been better than what had come in the first two months of the season.

Finishing up the month with another strong weekend will be a boost ahead of another strong month of action for fans of the sport.

William Zepeda vs Tevin Farmer II

After meeting on the undercard of a big fight night set up in Saudi Arabia, William Zepeda was perhaps fortunate to get away with his unbeaten record intact.

That is certainly the feeling in the Tevin Farmer camp having put William Zepeda down and losing on a Split Decision- all three cards ended in a 95-94 score and it really was a fight that could have landed in favour of the veteran.

My feelings back in November was that William Zepeda would break down Tevin Farmer and ultimately outwork him through the early Rounds to sap the energy of the older fighter. He should have seen the lack of success rival Raymond Muratalla had by fighting at a slower tempo, but Zepeda has admitted that he lost his focus in the first fight with Tevin Farmer and he will be much more likely to stick to the game plan in the rematch.

This is key and the likelihood is that William Zepeda will have learned a lot more from the first fight compared with his opponent.

Tevin Farmer will come out and try and frustrate the home fighter again and his motivation will be plenty high considering the crossroads nature of the contest for the veteran. A win will likely mean a big fight, but a loss and Farmer will effectively become a gate-keeper at best and potentially think about retirement instead.

When you think of some of the names around the Lightweight Division, William Zepeda has to really look to make a statement in this rematch if he is going to get a shot against the likes of Gervonta Davis or Shakur Stevenson. A wide Decision will work with that in mind, but the feeling is that William Zepeda will have been thinking about his mistakes from the first fight and will be able to be a lot more composed in this one.

This time he should make the early investments that slow Farmer down and William Zepeda may be able to force the Stoppage that was expected when they met in Saudi Arabia.

This bout is scheduled for Twelve Rounds, not Ten, and that should also help William Zepeda when you think of how hurt Raymond Muratalla had Tevin Farmer in the second half of their contest. That was also scheduled for Ten Rounds and you do have to wonder if Muratalla may have got the job done without the cards with the extra six minutes ringtime.

William Zepeda may be the one that benefits and he looks worth backing to win this fight in the second half of the contest.

Once again Oscar Collazo is involved in a card that features William Zepeda and the Minimumweight World Champion made the biggest impact in Saudi Arabia back in November.

He has asked for more respect for the lowest of the weight classes in Boxing, but there is no doubt that people recognise how good Oscar Collazo is.

Holding two of the four World Titles, Oscar Collazo will be looking to Unify over the course of 2025, but he will head to Cancun ready to defend against home fighter Edwin Cano.

The Mexican is pretty highly Ranked with both the WBO and WBA, but he has not really mixed with the elite company and this is a big step up for a fighter that has two losses on his record.

Edwin Cano is not expected to be too difficult to find and the layers are expecting an easy night for the World Champion.

However, you have to expect some resilience from Cano and only one of the last seven Oscar Collazo fights have ended inside the first Four Rounds.

In saying that, not many have moved beyond the Seventh Round recently and the Unified World Champion may get this done in the middle of the contest.

The Top Rank card in Las Vegas is headlined by the Mikaela Mayer rematch with Sandy Ryan, but just like the layers, I am finding it tough to separate the two.

In Two Minute Rounds, the action can be very close and competitive and scoring those Rounds feels that much more difficult than in a Three Minute contest. It is unsurprising that so many of the top women fights end up in a bit of controversy or with Split Decisions read out and this one really could go either way.

There are a couple of good looking undercard contests with the 'A' side fighters looking to move forward with their careers.

Bruce Carrington is highly Ranked in all four governing bodies in the Featherweight Division and is set for a World Title tilt later this year.

Four wins were secured in 2024 as the level was stepped up and this feels like a contest in which Carrington can get through his work effectively.

The layers are expecting a Stoppage and Bruce Carrington will have his moments, but Enrique Vivas has shown some toughness in his defeats, which can be expected from any Boxer representing Mexico. He may just be able to get through the Ten Rounds, although the expectation is that Bruce Carrington will be a relatively comfortable winner on the cards.

One American will be chasing a World Title later in the year, but another on the undercard is looking to defend his Welterweight World Title for the first time.

Brian Norman Jr won the Interim World Title in impressive style last May, but was upgraded by the WBO after Terence Crawford moved up in Division.

His opponent, Derrieck Cuevas has been poking Norman Jr about not being a 'real' World Champion with that in mind, but the American has refused to bite back.

He was supposed to fight Jarron Ennis in a Unification at the back end of last year, but an injury ended that opportunity for Brian Norman Jr and he has to focus on getting the job done on Saturday. It has been a considerable length of time away from the ring, which will mean the early Rounds are about shaking off some of the rust that naturally develops, although it has to be noted that Cuevas has been away even longer than the defending Champion.

It feels like a fight in which they should gel, but Brian Norman Jr has been operating at a higher level and that class should show.

MY PICKS: William Zepeda to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Oscar Collazo to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Bruce Carrington to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 3.10 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Brian Norman Jr to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Boxing 2025: 13-31, - 12.93 Units (53 Units Staked, - 24.40% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Saturday 29th March)

We are down to the final couple of days at the Miami Masters.

Saturday will place the spotlight on the two WTA Finalists as Aryna Sabalenka prepares to face Jessica Pegula and the tournament is going to be rounded out by the ATP Final on Sunday.

A win for Novak Djokovic has just pushed the Miami totals back in the right direction after his convincing win over Grigor Dimitrov in the Semi Final, although his opponent in the Final will be determined later on Friday evening.

This thread will be posted before that result is official, and the focus here is on the WTA Final.

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Jessica Pegula: The WTA Final in Miami will be competed by two of the top four players in the World Rankings and so it should be a decent contest.

The World Number 1 and top Seed in Miami, Aryna Sabalenka, has looked the more confident of the two players with the way she has dismissed all challengers to reach the Final. She has not lost a set, while Sabalenka has beaten three players that are Ranked inside the top 15 in the last three Rounds and that will give her plenty of confidence as she looks to win her first big title in 2025.

Nothing can be taken for granted by Aryna Sabalenka who has lost the Australian Open Final and Indian Wells Final already this season, but the match up has been one that she has enjoyed.

Jessica Pegula will point out that she has beaten Aryna Sabalenka twice on the hard courts and she was considerably lower Ranked when upsetting the Belarusian in Cincinnati in August 2020. She also lost 7-5, 7-5 in the US Open Final in September 2024 to show she can compete with the World Number 1, but Jessica Pegula is going to have to serve well and try and put Sabalenka under some pressure.

Her run through to the Miami Final has had more challenges and Jessica Pegula has dropped three sets in her five wins, including in each of the last two Rounds. And that may be a concern when you think that only player beaten in this tournament has been Ranked inside the top 30 and so Aryna Sabalenka represents a major step upwards in terms of an opponent.

The serve has been important for Jessica Pegula, but she has to find a way to be more consistent on the return if she is going to upset the top Seed.

Aryna Sabalenka has perhaps not served as well as Jessica Pegula as far as the numbers are concerned, but she is not that far behind and especially when you factor in Ranking of opponents faced. Where the World Number 1 has looked much more effective compared with Jessica Pegula has been on the return and she can certainly put the home player under pressure if she is not hitting her marks on the serve.

In their head to head matches on the hard courts, Aryna Sabalenka has been the stronger returner and she can show that here, while covering the handicap number set for the Final.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 13-9, + 1.99 Units (22 Units Staked, + 9.05% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Friday 28th March)

For the first time in a little while, one of the Tennis Picks made on Thursday felt like it had gotten through the cracks and one that should not have been made.

There has been a real focus on my part to ensure that only selections that pass a few check boxes are written up, but the Arthur Fils selection in his Quarter Final felt like a wrong decision and is one to put in the learning box.

Jessica Pegula won, but did not cover on the day too, although that selection still feels like it would return as a winner more often than not and so it is not really one that will leave a bad taste in the mouth. In reality even the Picks that feel the best can ultimately lose, but it has been a clear approach to tighten the way the selection process is made.

We are onto ATP Semi Final day on Friday with the Women's and Men's Finals to be played over the weekend with both the headline match of Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Bouncing back from a poor Thursday is the only ambition from the Semi Final matches set to head out onto the court.

Novak Djokovic - 3.5 games v Grigor Dimitrov: Failing to win a match since suffering an injury at the Australian Open had to have raised some concerns for fans of Novak Djokovic.

Reports suggested the former World Number 1 might have also called time on the surprising partnership with Andy Murray that had been announced on the eve of the new season beginning, although that was denied by Novak Djokovic.

With that in mind, it has been an important few days in Miami at the end of March with Novak Djokovic now the favourite to win the Masters event. His performances have been impressive and Djokovic has used the event to remind everyone that he remains one of the top players on the Tour, even if others are perhaps receiving a bit more attention for their tennis.

Novak Djokovic faces fellow veteran Grigor Dimitrov in the Semi Final with the Bulgarian also showing off considerable form at the event. Most importantly is the fact that Dimitrov has looked healthy with a number of mid-match retirements already on the board in 2025, which would have raised some concerns about the Bulgarian and his prospects.

The serve has been an immense weapon for Grigor Dimitrov in Miami, and that has perhaps covered up some of the returning shortcomings. This will be that much tougher to do on Friday in the ATP Semi Final against a return player as effective as Novak Djokovic and that will put Dimitrov under some pressure to get into the return games.

This looks a tough challenge considering the level of serving we have seen from Novak Djokovic throughout this Masters event.

He has also had significantly better returning numbers compared with Grigor Dimitrov, while Novak Djokovic holds the mental edge having won twelve of thirteen previous matches between the players. That record reads a perfect 7-0 on the hard courts and in those matches there has been a huge edge to Novak Djokovic on the serve (88% of games held compared with Grigor Dimitrov's 70% number).

There is no doubting the talent of Grigor Dimitrov and his ability to string points together when at his best, as he has been this week in Miami. However, Novak Djokovic is playing at a higher level and that has proven to be decisive when these players have met on the Tour in the past.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 12-9, + 1.24 Units (21 Units Staked, + 5.90% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Thursday 27th March)

With the new rules within tennis that they will not have matches beginning after a certain time to cut out the super late finishes that had frankly become far too common in recent years, the Miami Masters is slightly out of line right now.

Rain on Tuesday has meant a couple of matches have been pushed back and the Sebastian Korda-Novak Djokovic Quarter Final was bumped on Wednesday and instead will be played alongside two other ATP Quarter Final matches. However, the two WTA Semi Finals are also scheduled to take place on Thursday and there is every chance that one of those will have to be played on Friday, especially with the potential of another late start.

The schedulers have all five Singles matches set to be played on the same main court, but the 1pm start time means they will want all to be relatively quick if they are going to get through the entire day of play.

With that in mind, the second Pick on this thread is one that may ultimately be played on Friday instead, but it is the way the tournament has shaken up thanks to the huge amount of rain delays that were in place a couple of days ago.

A win for the one selection on Wednesday has just turned the Miami totals back around after a slump in the middle of the week- with a strong finish, there is every chance that the poor outcome from the Indian Wells Masters Tennis Picks can be erased and push some momentum behind us prior to the clay court season getting underway.

In all likelihood, the first Picks from those tournaments will begin at the Monte Carlo Masters in the first full week of April with the opening events taking place in North America, Morocco and Bucharest.

The draws will determine if that is the case, but that is a matter for the weekend and the focus is on securing a few more winning selections before that.

Arthur Fils v Jakub Mensik: Two players who were young enough to compete in the Next Gen Finals at the end of 2024 meet in a big Masters Quarter Final on Thursday and the layers are struggling to split the two.

You can partly explain that away by the fact that Arthur Fils had to come from behind to beat Alexander Zverev in the Fourth Round on Wednesday. That match had originally been scheduled for Tuesday, but the rain in Miami meant having to wait, although the only benefit for Arthur Fils is that the upset over Alexander Zverev did not last more than two hours on the court.

However, while Arthur Fils was battling for a place in the Miami Quarter Final, Jakub Mensik had benefited from a walkover twenty-four hours earlier. Some of the rhythm may have been broken, but Mensik has had plenty of time to rest and recuperate for this big match as he looks for a win that would see him earn a new career high World Ranking at the event of the weekend.

Jakub Mensik is not Seeded in Miami and that means he has started a Round earlier than Arthur Fils so both players have had the same three wins to earn the spot in the last eight.

The 19 year old player from Czechia upset Jack Draper, the Indian Wells Champion, in the Second Round and Jakub Mensik has been serving very well in the conditions. The courts are playing pretty quickly in Miami and that has been an issue when it comes to the Mensik return and the slightly stronger numbers Arthur Fils has been producing in the event here should give him the edge.

In their meeting at the Next Gen Finals, Arthur Fils was able to produce the much more effective return play and he is playing well enough in Miami to believe he can do the same in this Quarter Final. Those Finals are played in a shorter set format, but the numbers on the day gave Fils a considerable edge and his performances this week look more in line with the season numbers and that should suggest that the higher Ranked player can at least maintain the standards set.

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 games v Alexandra Eala: The 19 year old Filipino has stood next to tennis royalty in her time graduating from Rafa Nadal's Academy, but Alexandra Eala had not really pushed her way onto the main WTA Tour before taking a Wild Card in Miami.

She did not even attempt to make the main draw in Indian Wells, but instead had been playing at the lower level events on the hard courts in Mumbai and Trnava. Little impact had been made there with a 2-2 record and Alexandra Eala had failed to Qualify for the Australian Open and the tournament played in Singapore.

With all that in mind, Alexandra Eala may have arrived in Miami with very little expectation- winning one match would have given the World Ranking a boost, but things have clicked together for the left-hander and it has been an amazing run through to the WTA 1000 Semi Final.

This run has guaranteed a place in the top 100 for the first time, which will open up other opportunities, but it has been anything but a lucky run and that is where the confidence could really grow. In Miami, Alexandra Eala has beaten Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, three former or current Grand Slam Champions and all without dropping a set.

It has been an incredible run.

Alexandra Eala may feel she has nothing to lose and there will be plenty of respect for Jessica Pegula, but no sense of fear about playing the World Number 4.

The serve has been a little vulnerable, but Eala has impressed massively on the return numbers and that is going to be a key battle in this Semi Final considering how well Jessica Pegula has been serving in the conditions. It was that serve that kept Emma Raducanu at bay in the Quarter Final and the last American left in the WTA tournament will feel that there is still more to come from the return of serve.

It will be important to try and keep Alexandra Eala under pressure on both the first and second serve deliveries. The 19 year old has similar numbers behind both of those shots and so Jessica Pegula has to feel she can get into most rallies on the return, while also trying to get on top of the first strike momentum that landing her own opening shot can produce.

Some players on the WTA Tour have shown that they can ride the momentum all the way to a surprise title and Alexandra Eala has all of the momentum after the performances and results to work her way through to the Semi Final.

However, she is playing an opponent in Jessica Pegula that has been operating at a high level over the last month on the Tour and it may just see the World Number 4 find the breaks of serve to push clear of this handicap mark.

MY PICKS: Arthur Fils @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 12-7, + 3.24 Units (19 Units Staked, + 17.05% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Wednesday 26th March)

For the third day in a row, it looked like some of the fortune was going to be missing, which is always needed when making Picks from a long year on the Tour.

Gael Monfils looked to be completely comfortable in the final set decider as the underdog, but threw in one poor service game and ultimately that cost him in a match where he had won more points than Sebastian Korda.

Thankfully Novak Djokovic was a comfortable Fourth Round winner and then some of the luck changed with Aryna Sabalenka finding a way to recover in the second set and beat Qinwen Zheng in straight sets and cover the wide mark set.

It has pushed the Miami totals back in a positive direction, but Wednesday looks a difficult day and only one selection is made from the four Quarter Final matches scheduled to be played. Rain in Miami has forced one of the ATP Fourth Round matches to be played on the day too, which means having to play on back to back days for the winner of the Alexander Zverev-Arthur Fils match.

Four days remain at the tournament and the hope is that a strong finish can round out the first quarter of the season and attention can turn to the clay court season and the build into the French Open.

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 games v Emma Raducanu: Another Coach has lasted a short amount of time with Emma Raducanu and her team, but the British player has enjoyed a big week in Miami and will be chasing her biggest title since surprising the sport by winning the US Open.

These days Emma Raducanu is playing as the World Number 60, but she has little to defend in terms of Ranking Points over the next couple of months and could be in a much stronger position by the time Wimbledon rolls around in late June.

Before all of that, Emma Raducanu is hoping to keep the momentum going having secured four wins in Miami, which is more than her total number of wins in 2025 prior to the tournament. She has beaten two top 20 Ranked opponents, although Emma Raducanu may have benefited from the scheduling when crushing Amanda Anisimova in the Fourth Round.

This time both Raducanu and opponent Jessica Pegula have had a day of rest after their Fourth Round wins and the latter has been playing with more consistency over the course of the year.

Jessica Pegula has won a title on the hard courts, while the three wins in Miami have come in confident manner and that will give the World Number 4 a huge amount of belief in her tennis. She has been serving really well in Miami and that is going to be key against Emma Raducanu to try and put some pressure on the British player.

Both previous matches between the players have been competitive with both earning a win apiece.

Breaks of serve have to be expected considering the quality with which both Emma Radacanu and Jessica Pegula can return, but the slight edge has to be with the latter.

She has been serving with a bit more effectiveness not only in Miami, but on the hard courts in general in 2025 and it feels like Raducanu is playing at a level that may be more difficult for her to sustain. It also should be noted that Emma Raducanu was perhaps a little fortunate to beat Emma Navarro in the Second Round at this tournament and a similar level might not be good enough when facing the World Number 4 in her current form.

MY PICKS: Jessica Pegula - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 11-7, + 2.39 Units (18 Units Staked, + 13.28% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Tuesday 25th March)

It can only be described as 'frustrating' when players miss Break Points, Set Points or Match Points at a moment when they would cover and win for the Tennis Picks, but that has been the case over the last couple of days.

On another day and with an inch here or there, the last two days could have easily produced a 4-1 record rather than a 2-3 one.

Monday saw Aryna Sabalenka dominate Danielle Collins, but she missed the Set Point to win the first set 6-3 and then had two Match Points at 15-40, 6-4, 5-3, and converting either of those would have led to a cover too.

The day prior saw Gael Monfils miss four Break Points n a single game that prevented his ability to cover as well and so there has to be some irritation to those results.

In saying that, the Miami totals are still in a positive position and there are six days remaining in South Florida as the first quarter of the season is wrapped up.

The entire ATP Fourth Round is scheduled to be played on Tuesday with two of the WTA Quarter Finals also set to go and that means it is the busiest day left at the event. Three selections have been found, which can be read below, and it would be nice to be on the right side of the tight margins to just move the tournament back in a positive direction.

Gael Monfils v Sebastian Korda: All credit has to be given to the veteran Gael Monfils for the opening to the 2025 season and his attention will soon turn to having one more big run at the French Open.

Before thoughts turn to clay court preparation, Monfils is looking to move through to the Miami Quarter Final having battled through three sets in each of the three wins recorded at the tournament. Another victory would see him moving back towards the top 32 and that would potentially mean being Seeded at Roland Garros, which would offer Gael Monfils that much of a better opportunity to have the kind of impact that the fans will be hoping to see.

He will have to beat a confident Sebastian Korda, who has won two matches in Miami in solid fashion.

The victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas will have shown Korda that he is capable of getting through sticky moments within matches and not lose the momentum to go on and win those matches. This wll help the American as he looks for a bit of revenge over Gael Monfils having lost to the veteran at Indian Wells earlier this month.

However, the feeling is that the day of rest between matches will help Gael Monfils recover from the tough Third Round win over Jaume Munar and he can frank that victory over Sebastian Korda with another on a faster surface.

He was the much more effective server in Indian Wells and Gael Monfils may feel that is going to be the case again in the Fourth Round in Miami.

Sebastan Korda has been returning well through his first two wins in Miami, but Gael Monfils still holds the edge on the serve and that may be the key to the outcome of this match.

You can never tell how accumulated fatigue will play a part, but Monfils is still looking pretty sharp and the day of rest should help as he looks to upset the odds in this Fourth Round match.

Novak Djokovic - 3.5 games v Lorenzo Musetti: Two wins in Miami will have given Novak Djokovic a boost in confidence having struggled after Melbourne, although the former World Number 1 will be well aware that the level of opponent is going up considerably compared with those already beaten.

Neither opponent faced so far at the tournament have been Ranked higher than World Number 65, but in the Fourth Round Novak Djokovic is faced by Lorenzo Musetti, the current World Number 16.

The Italian's Ranking is boosted by a surprising run at Wimbledon last year on the grass courts, but Lorenzo Musetti is most respected on the clay courts like many of his compatriots. He has proven to be a solid, but unspectacular hard court player, and Lorenzo Musetti had a 4-3 record on the surface in 2025 before winning two matches here.

Both wins have been in three set affairs, which can provide a confidence boost for the Italian, although there is room for improvement and there is likely going to have to be an improvement if he is going to win this Fourth Round match against Novak Djokovic.

Overall the numbers have looked stronger than last year with Lorenzo Musetti serving and returning a little better on the surface than he did in 2024. That will be tested over the course of the year, but it may give Musetti the belief that he can get the better of Novak Djokovic for the second time in their career meetings.

Ultimately it is Djokovic who has won seven of the eight matches played and the most competitive meetings have been on the clay courts. The two previous hard court matches have ended pretty decisively in favour of Novak Djokovic and the Serb looks to be serving well enough to give himself the chances to win this match and cover the handicap mark set.

In their previous matches, Lorenzo Musetti has struggled to protect his serve against the strong returning that Novak Djokovic brings to the court.

On the clay, Musetti has been able to challenge the Novak Djokovic serve, but that has been much tougher for him on the hard courts and that is something that may hold firm in this big Fourth Round match.

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Qinwen Zheng: The final scoreline might have suggested two tough sets, but Aryna Sabalenka was a dominant winner over Danielle Collins and will be looking to continue her dominance of Qinwen Zheng in this Miami Quarter Final.

These players have met five times beginning with the 2023 US Open Quarter Final and all of those have been won by Aryna Sabalenka on the hard courts.

She has dropped just a single set in that time and it is impossible to ignore the numbers.

Aryna Sabalenka has dominated behind serve when playing Qinwen Zheng, but she has also found a way to get into the return games thanks to winning 44% of points played on the Zheng serve.

The one 'positive' for Qinwen Zheng is that she produced her best serving day against Aryna Sabalenka when the two met in Riyadh at the WTA Finals at the end of 2024, although the conditions perhaps helped with the World Number 1 still coming out as a solid 6-3, 6-4 winner.

Qinwen Zheng had lost three hard court matches in a row before arriving at Indian Wells where she reached the Quarter Final and was ultimately beaten by Iga Swiatek. She has backed that up with three wins in Miami, but the highest Ranked player that has been seen off is at World Number 40 and over the last twelve months, Qinwen Zheng has yet to beat a player Ranked in the top three on a hard court.

A couple of sets have been won in that time, but the feeling is that this match is on the racquet of the World Number 1 who is desperate to win a title before moving into the clay court season.

The form shown in the three wins produced by Aryna Sabalenka makes her a strong favourite and she can find the breaks needed to cover a wide number in this Quarter Final.

MY PICKS: Gael Monfils @ 2.20 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Novak Djokovic - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 9-6, + 1.59 Units (15 Units Staked, + 10.60% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Monday 24th March)

The WTA Fourth Round has been scheduled to be played on Monday, but the layers look to be on top of the markets.

A couple of selections got close- Iga Swiatek to beat Elina Svitolina and the 5.5 game handicap mark as well as picking Emma Raducanu with a 2.5 game start against Amanda Anisimova, but ultimately there is enough about the opponents to just ease me away from those selections.

The same applied to the remaining ATP Third Round matches with some getting close, but not quite convincing me with enough strength to pull the trigger.

After a couple of mixed days with the Tennis Picks, the hope is that the one selection being made for Monday can just push the weekly totals back in a positive direction before moving into the business end of the last hard court tournament for several months.

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Danielle Collins: Another defeat in the Final of a tournament will have stung the current World Number 1, but she has pushed that loss at Indian Wells to the back of the mind. Two solid wins have been recorded in Miami to take Aryna Sabalenka through to the Fourth Round and she has to be pretty happy with the faster conditions in this event in Florida compared with those in California.

She faces Danielle Collins in the Fourth Round and the American is expected to be backed from the stands, although perhaps is not as popular as some of her compatriots that are playing in Miami.

Whether she receives the backing of the crowd or not is something that is unlikely to bother Danielle Collins, who had a solid Second Round win and displayed all of her toughness to come through a difficult test in the Third Round. Those wins will have given Collins some confidence, but the World Number 15 will also be well aware that this is a considerable step upwards in level of opponent.

It will be a thought underlined by the fact that Aryna Sabalenka has won all six previous matches played against Danielle Collins and has beaten her three times at the US Open. Half of those six matches have been competitive enough to need a deciding set, although the other three have ended in pretty convincing fashion in favour of Aryna Sabalenka.

There has been a big difference between the serving numbers of the two players in the head to head- the feeling is that Danielle Collins has to find that much more from her serve to be competitive, never mind actually going on to beat Sabalenka for the first time.

Anything below her best and Danielle Collins will likely be under significant pressure throughout this Fourth Round match and Aryna Sabalenka may end up showing off her ability as a frontrunner. With two strong wins behind her already, the World Number 1 can secure another one here and progress to yet another hard court Quarter Final.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 9-5, + 2.59 Units (14 Units Staked, + 18.50% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Sunday 23rd March)

The Miami Masters rolls into the business end of the tournament at the end of this weekend, and every player will have had at least one match under their belt.

This should mean conditions are much more familiar to all involved and should just settle the tournament into a rhythm for the fans and the players involved.

Upsets have largely been avoided through the first two Rounds, but there was a big one when Carlos Alcaraz was beaten by David Goffin and the Spaniard can turn his attention to preparing for the French Open.

The focus for the Tennis Picks on Sunday will be on the Third Round matches played on the ATP side of the tournaments being played in Miami. The hope is that the 7-3 start to the tournament is only one that is laying the foundation for a strong tournament to bounce back from the one held in Indian Wells.

Gael Monfils - 2.5 games v Jaume Munar: Any player that beats Daniil Medvedev on a hard court as comfortably as Jaume Munar did in the Second Round has to be respected, although the level shown by Munar is going to be incredibly difficult to maintain.

Like many Spanish players, Jaume Munar is a solid clay courter, but one who has enough ability to perform to a decent standard on the hard courts.

In saying that, the serve is usually still relatively vulnerable on this surface and Munar is playing well above that level in 2025. He has been a streaky performer and there is little doubt that Jaume Munar is playing with the confidence to win the big points, which has led to some tight wins.

Next up is veteran Gael Monfils who has already secured another hard court title in 2025, but who has not really had a big impact in the last two tournaments played since the Australian Open.

The Frenchman has been serving with some confidence, although he has been held back by a slight dip in the returning numbers. This is not a big surprise when you think that Monfils is now 38 years old and almost certainly coming towards the end of his career, but the hope is that he can get into enough of the return games to neutralise the rallies and eventually showcase his superior hard court ability.

Their one previous match was back in 2018 at the Australian Open and ended in favour of Gael Monfils- this one is expected to be more competitive, but the World Number 46 can do enough to win some of the key points and earn passage into the Fourth Round.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 1.5 games v Sebastian Korda: A Fourth Round loss at Indian Wells will have hurt, but Stefanos Tsitsipas has to be very happy with the form shown over the last month. He won the title in Dubai, which is an important trophy to pick up on the Tour and Stefanos Tsitsipas looks to be entering matches with a bit more confidence, even when things have not gone smoothly within matches.

His three set win in the Second Round in Miami will have done Stefanos Tsitsipas the world of good and he is going to be well supported in the stands, even if he is facing a home player.

Sebastian Korda made it as high as World Number 15 in August last year and it looked a matter of time before the American would crack the top ten, but he has slipped back to World Number 25 since then.

He reached the Final in Adelaide in preparing for the Australian Open, but Sebastian Korda has won just twice since then, including losing in that title match. Early losses in Melbourne, Marseille and Indian Wells has done little for the confidence, but Sebastian Korda benefited from facing an opponent Ranked outside the top 100 in the Second Round in Miami and made relatively short work of Eliot Spizzirri.

This is a significant step up in class for Sebastian Korda and he is going to have to serve well to contain the threat posed by Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Both players have struggled with their return in hard court matches, although the serving edge is with Stefanos Tsitsipas and that gives him an opportunity to force his way into the Fourth Round.

2021 was the last time Sebastian Korda and Stefanos Tsitsipas faced one another on the Tour and it resulted in a win for the latter.

The 24 year old American is improved since then, but form this season has not been that impressive so far and Tsitsipas can find a way to win and cover.

Novak Djokovic - 5.5 games v Camilo Ugo Carabelli: The first set was a cruise and the second set saw Novak Djokovic pushed, but finding a win was key for the former World Number 1. This is the first one put on the board since the Australian Open Quarter Final and Novak Djokovic will now be looking to kick on into the Miami Masters tournament.

He has openly admitted that peaking for Grand Slams is the main focus in the remaining years of his career, but Novak Djokovic is not going to be player happy with the losses being piled together.

This looks a good opportunity to keep the run going in Miami when facing Camilo Ugo Carabelli, the World Number 65 who effectively plays the majority of the year on the clay courts.

A First Round defeat at the Australian Open was followed with a run on the clay courts, and Camilo Ugo Carabelli had been beaten in the Qualifiers in Miami. A Lucky Loser spot was awarded to him though and Carabelli could not have taken more of an advantage with two, tough wins.

However, the level of opponent has perhaps helped, even if Camilo Ugo Carabelli had to beat a couple of American players, and this is a significant step upwards. The return game will give the clay court specialist an opportunity, but the serve is not as well protected as some can produce on the hard courts and ultimately someone like Novak Djokovic should be able to keep him under the cosh.

Confidence is perhaps not at a level it would have been when Djokovic was beating all-comers, but he showed in the Second Round that he is still playing with enough quality to beat opponents of this level without too much drama.

Brandon Nakashima - 2.5 games v David Goffin: The biggest upset in Miami so far has to be David Goffin's win over Carlos Alcaraz in the Second Round.

He had come into the tournament with little positive form, and David Goffin was beaten in the first set played 6-2... At that stage you would have had long odds on Goffin turning things around, but he did and he managed to do the same in the Second Round in the upset over Alcaraz.

The return numbers have been steady compared with 2024, but David Goffin had been struggling with his serve and that is still something that could be a potential issue for him in this Third Round match.

Brandon Nakashima has been putting a lot more wins on the board in recent weeks with a run to the Quarter Final in Delray Beach and following that up with a Semi Final run in Acapulco. His Fourth Round loss at Indian Wells may have felt a little disappointing, but the World Number 32 bounced back with an opening win in different conditions in Miami and Brandon Nakashima should be all the better for putting that victory on the board.

He has a mental edge over David Goffin having won all three pro meetings against the veteran Belgian, while Goffin is going to be bidding to back up a big upset, which is always challenging.

These two met in Acapulco last month and it was Brandon Nakashima who was just a little stronger on the serve and he played the big points that little bit better than David Goffin.

All three wins have been on the hard courts since the back end of 2022 and Brandon Nakashima has held 85% of service games played compared with David Goffin's 78% mark in the head to head. He has also won 5% more points played behind serve and, in a game of inches, that can make the difference again with the American looking to reach another Fourth Round during the Sunshine Double in March.

MY PICKS: Gael Monfils - 2.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Novak Djokovic - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Brandon Nakashima - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 7-3, + 3.04 Units (10 Units Staked, + 30.40% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Saturday 22nd March)

We move into the Miami Masters WTA Third Round on Saturday as the tournament rolls on and the remainder of the Seeded ATP players get their events underway.

With the time difference, the Miami tournament update will be added to the thread on Saturday once all of the results have been confirmed.

Despite a busy day of action scheduled at the event, the layers look to be firmly on top of the markets and the only two selections both come from the WTA matches and can be read below.

Coco Gauff - 4.5 games v Maria Sakkari: You never want to get carried away over one result, but Coco Gauff should have gained plenty of confidence after producing a double bagel in beating former Australian Open Champion Sofia Kenin.

She will also be well aware that the challenges will be much tougher the deeper Coco Gauff is able to get into the Miami tournament over the remainder of the month.

Next up is Maria Sakkari and Coco Gauff will be looking to frank the form that saw her beat the Greek player last week in Indian Wells. That means Coco Gauff has won three of the last four meetings with Maria Sakkari with all of those taking place on the hard courts and there is no doubt that Sakkari is not playing at the level that once took her into World Number 3.

The second serve has been something of a weakness for Maria Sakkari, while her return numbers have also dipped on the hard courts in her sixteen matches played in 2025. It took three sets to win in the First Round and Sakkari has struggled to string victories together, while the relatively straight-forward loss to Coco Gauff in Indian Wells will not have been forgotten.

Both players struggled with the second serve in that match in California- this has been an issue for Coco Gauff for a little while now with the Double Faults far too common a feature of her matches than she would like. However, there was a big difference in the impact landing the first serve had for both players and Coco Gauff may feel she can get even more out of that shot on the faster Miami courts.

This is a big spread if Coco Gauff is struggling with her first serve percentage, but Maria Sakkari has not been playing at a high level and the American can use the support from the stands to eventually ease through to the Fourth Round.

Naomi Osaka - 4.5 games v Hailey Baptiste: Two wins in a row in Miami to add to the First Round win in Indian Wells will just prevent Hailey Baptiste from slipping out of the top 100 in the World Rankings.

She was perhaps fortunate to beat Daria Kasatkina in the Second Round, but the American can play with some freedom having perhaps already gotten further than she would have imagined when the draw was made.

Beating two top 50 Ranked opponents will have done Hailey Baptiste the world of good as far as confidence goes and there may be an opportunity against Naomi Osaka.

That is mainly down to the fact that Naomi Osaka has struggled for consistency in form and health since returning to the WTA Tour- the desire to play with the 'big dogs' remains as high as ever, but Osaka has not really strung the wins together as some may have imagined since returning to the Tour and that has left her as the World Number 61.

Two solid wins in Miami will help, but it does say plenty that two of the three losses suffered this season have ended in a mid-match retirement. It is something that makes it more difficult to trust Naomi Osaka's body to be held together as she plays a third match in the same tournament for just the third time in 2025.

Helping is the fact that Naomi Osaka has crushed Hailey Baptiste once already this season and this is an opponent that will have a similar approach to the former World Number 1.

That approach means following a big serve with a heavy forehand, but Baptiste did look a little weary when falling over the line against Daria Kasatkina and it is going to be much harder to contain Naomi Osaka if the latter is playing anywhere near the level produced in the Second Round.

Both players have had issues on the return when it comes to hard court matches, but the Osaka serve has been much more consistent compared with the World Number 98.

Hailey Baptiste will feel she has little to lose, but Naomi Osaka's qualities should give her the edge and she can cover a big number, even at her current level in her career.

MY PICKS: Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Naomi Osaka - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 6-2, + 3.38 Units (8 Units Staked, + 42.25% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2025- Sebastian Fundora vs Chordale Booker (Saturday 22nd March)

The latest news reports indicated that the TKO compensation for the new Boxing League being constructed would not be offering the kind of payments that so many top Boxers have been used to and instead it would be taking a UFC approach to the payment structure.

Those reports have been disputed by Turki Alalshikh, but they would certainly not have worried the top promoters in the world and suggests TKO may take an approach of signing up potential rather than bringing in established stars.

Of course those numbers could have been leaked so the organisers and Alalshikh can generate some feedback, while also being able to state that the reports are wrong, and there is still plenty of time before anything official has to be put out there. This time can be used to change structures and the approach, but for now Turki Alalshikh will continuing partnering the big promoters and use them to ensure Riyadh Season and The Ring events have the biggest names involved.

The full card for Canelo's next outing has been released and it is not exactly the depth of event that we have come to expect from those being held in Saudi Arabia.

That is not to say it is a weak card per se, but fans have been spoiled and so a feeling of being underwhelmed cannot come as that much of a surprise.

It is a big weekend with a solid event being run in Times Square on Friday before the Saudi event on Saturday and then being rounded out by Naoya Inoue's next American outing. The match ups on Saturday and Sunday may not be that appealing, but the Friday night card looks decent enough and fans will be hoping that bigger events will come out of those being run.

Nick Ball's win last weekend means he is a step closer to facing Naoya Inoue, assuming The Monster keeps winning, while the winners on the Friday card in New York City will be pitted together later in the year.

And we should also have an official announcement of Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford as long as the Mexican comes through May 3rd unscathed.

The next couple of weeks bring together another couple of solid cards before the move into April and the attention turning to Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn, at least for UK fans.

There are some important fights to come in April, including a Welterweight Unification, and so fight fans have to be very happy with the events being put together as we approach the halfway mark of the 2025 season.

Hopefully more events will begin to be announced over the next four weeks with some big nights expected in the summer as Boxing becomes a year long sport and not having an unofficial 'break' in the middle of the year as had become the norm.

Sebastian Fundora vs Chordale Booker

Almost exactly twelve months have passed since Sebastian Fundora came in as a late replacement and took advantage of an elbow that gashed open Tim Tsyzu as he upset the Australian on a Split Decision.

That means Sebastian Fundora holds the Light Middleweight World Titles for both the WBO and WBC, but suffice to say he has failed to really build on the momentum of that win over Tim Tszyu.

Some of that is not his fault- he wanted to defend his World Titles against Errol Spence Jr, but that fight was not signed off by the organisations and Fundora has effectively been sitting out.

He may hold two of the four World Titles in the Division, but there are plenty of naysayers when it comes to where Sebastian Fundora sits in the Division.

Making believers out of doubters is unlikely going to be the outcome of beating Chordale Booker, if indeed Fundora is able to win this fight, and there will be a real push to see him pitted against some of the bigger names in the Division. That is not likely to be against Interim WBO Champion Terence Crawford, who is set to face Canelo Alvarez, but Vergil Ortiz Jr is now the Interim WBC Champion in the Division and that looks like a fight that should be made.

Sebastian Fundora will state that he is willing to take on anyone, and he has shown plenty of heart in his showings, although the twelve month layoff is very disappointing for a 27 year old.

It is not expected to have an impact on Saturday when facing Chordale Booker who has been floating between Light Middleweight and Middleweight in recent outings and who has not really been in the ring with anyone of note since being blown away by Ammo Williams inside the First Round in 2022. The Booker story is an inspiration one and winning the World Titles would really make some feel-good headlines, but it does feel like he is the beneficiary of an opportunity that may not have come about just yet if Sebastian Fundora had been more active.

We know what we are going to get from Fundora- he will come forward, he will throw plenty of punches and Brian Mendoza and Erickson Lubin have both shown the tall Light Middleweight can be hurt.

However, that is not expected to be something that Chordale Booker can do without having to take some serious punishment of his own and Sebastian Fundora has broken through fighters of this level pretty quickly previously.

Inactivity is a factor, but Sebastian Fundora may be able to shake off some of the cobwebs and still secure a victory inside the first half of the contest before perhaps calling out some of the bigger names in the Division.

The undercard has a couple of fighters rebuilding after a defeat, but the focus for the Picks is on Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr who is looking for a third straight win after losing to Erickson Lubin.

Around six weeks have passed since Ramos Jr was last in the ring beating Jeison Rosario and he has decided to step back to Light Middleweight for this contest.

It is a showcase fight against Guido Emmanuel Schramm, a fighter who comes in as a replacement having lost two in a row.

He was Stopped by Vladimir Hernandez in Six Rounds last June, but anyone fighting out of Argentina should be respected.

However, saying that, this is a fight that Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr should be relatively comfortable as he moves through the gears and he is worth backing to secure a late Stoppage for the third time in a row having won his last two in the Ninth and Eighth Round respectively.

Matchoom are hosting another big card in Australia and the main event features George Kambosos Jr having moved up from Lightweight into the Light Welterweight Division.

Being a Unified World Champion in the 135 Division is a career highlight for Kambosos Jr, although he has lost three of four fights since the upset over Teofimo Lopez. Even in the victory over Maxi Hughes, there were plenty out there feeling the Australian was very fortunate to be given the nod on the cards and this feels like the last big run in his career.

A late replacement had to be found to keep the event going and that opportunity has been given to Jake Wyllie, another Australian and one who has produced fifteen Stoppages in sixteen professional wins.

Jake Wyllie was involved in a fight at the end of February which ended prematurely in a No Contest in the Third Round and he admitted he was attending this event as a fan. Being a natural at Light Welterweight will help, but this is a massive step up for the 24 year old and it should be a bout that George Kambosos Jr can roll through.

There is no doubt that George Kambosos Jr is an overachiever and not many would have tipped him up to have reached the kind of level he has. In saying that, he should be levels above someone like Jake Wyllie and the younger man could empty the tank early in his bid for an upset and it will be Kambosos Jr dominating proceedings.

We saw an overmatched Brock Jarvis Stopped by Keith Thurman earlier this month and there is little reason to believe that someone like Jake Wyllie will have a lot more of a chance to get into the second half of this contest.

The former Lightweight World Champion has not exactly been a dominant fighter, but George Kambosos Jr has long been above the level of opponent he is facing as a late replacement and that should show up.

An undercard with local, developing talent and some leading female fighters should make for a decent show for those attending, but the sole selection will be from the main event.

You have to imagine Skye Nicolson and Cherneka Johnson are both able to defend their World Titles- the former is likely to be comfortable, while Johnson may just do a little more to edge Nina Hughes for a second time. Out of the two, Cherneka Johnson is the more vulnerable, but Nina Hughes may have to do a bit more to rip the titles from the Champion after a controversial defeat when the two met previously.

MY PICKS: Sebastian Fundora to Win Between 1-6 @ 4.33 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr to Win Between 6-10 @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

George Kambosos Jr to Win Between 1-6 @ 3.40 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Boxing 2025: 11-30, - 16.26 Units (50 Units Staked, - 32.52% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Friday 21st March)

There is a feeling that some meat was left on the bones after the results filtered through on Thursday, but it is also clear that hindsight is 20/20.

The fairest point that can be made is that there was no regret over the selections that were made and that is absolutely where you want to be- if you do that far more often than not, you can live with the results, even when they have not returned as hoped.

We move onto Friday and the conclusion of the WTA Second Round, but the start of the ATP's Second Round, which means the top names are beginning their run in Miami. Seeded players have received a Bye through the opening Round, but that means facing someone with a win under their belt and it is a challenging stage to negotiate for each of the big names getting underway.

Power outage in the area meant the thread was not able to be published on Thursday evening as planned, but the selections can be read below as the Miami Masters tournament gets ready to move towards the second week.

Novak Djokovic - 5.5 games v Rinky Hijikata: After retiring during the Australian Open Semi Final, Novak Djokovic has failed to win a match in two separate tournaments. Earlier this month he was upset in the Second Round at Indian Wells, but the partnership with Andy Murray continues and the former World Number 1 will be expecting to have a much bigger impact here in Miami.

There are improvements to be made- the second serve has really not been working to a level that we have come to expect from Novak Djokovic. Being able to protect that part of his tennis has allowed Novak Djokovic to grind down the best players on the Tour and he will be looking to show a bit more strength behind the second serve to just rebuild some overall confidence in his own tennis.

It is clear that Novak Djokovic is focusing on matters on the court having not put his name down on the lawsuit that the PTPA have begun against the ATP Tour, although the Serb is expected to be a keen supporter of the PTPA.

Nothing can be taken for granted against any opponent right now, especially after losing to the World Number 85 in Indian Wells, but Novak Djokovic is facing an opponent in Rinky Hijikata who has been struggling for any consistency in 2025.

The Australian is Ranked at Number 86 heading into Miami, but he came through a tough First Round match and Hijikata is now bidding to win consecutive matches for the first time since before the Australian Open played in January.

A real concern for Rinky Hijikata is the fact that a number of matches have gotten away from him and ended up in one-sided losses on the scoreboard.

Earlier this season he was beaten by Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, and there is every reason to believe the higher Ranked player can do that again as long as he is serving with even slightly more consistency on the second serve. Novak Djokovic will create chances against the Rinky Hijikata serve, as so many opponents have managed to do in recent matches against the Australian, and it could lead to a first win since Melbourne and in strong fashion from Djokovic too.

Tommy Paul - 3.5 games v Alexander Bublik: After withdrawing in Acapulco, there would have been some concern about the kind of readiness that Tommy Paul would have to compete in Indian Wells.

Two wins were produced in solid fashion, but Tommy Paul was well beaten by Daniil Medvedev in the Fourth Round and the American will certainly be expecting more from himself here. He has been placed in a decent section of the draw and that will help the World Number 13 as Tommy Paul looks to put another strong tournament in the books before turning his attention to the European clay courts.

His first match in Miami will be against Alexander Bublik, who was a solid First Round winner and will likely still be in confident form having had a strong run in Phoenix last week at Challenger level. In what has been a tough start to the season, Alexander Bublik will just be happy that he has found a way to secure some wins this month, although this has not been an easy match up for him.

Losing four of five matches to Tommy Paul will be a mental obstacle to overcome, especially as the last two defeats have been in relatively easy fashion.

Alexander Bublik does have a decent serve when at his best, but it can be a shot that he offers little protection when the focus is not quite at a level that it should be. This is always a concern with Bublik and a steady, consistent Tommy Paul likely continues to put the wins together against this opponent by not having the same level of dips within matches.

Faster conditions that have been spoken about in Miami should aid Alexander Bublik, but Tommy Paul is not going to be worried about those either and the home player can find his way through to the Third Round behind a solid win.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Tommy Paul - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elina Svitolina + 2.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Elise Mertens - 2.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 3-1, + 1.38 Units (4 Units Staked, + 34.50% Yield)

Miami Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Thursday 20th March)

The ATP Miami event will complete the First Round matches on Thursday before the big named Seeded players enter the event, but the WTA tournament has already moved into the Second Round.

Most of the players will have had a few days to recover from Indian Wells, but it is a dangerous Round for the top names to negotiate and that is because they are facing players that have won matches in the conditions and so should know what to expect.

This cannot always make up for the difference in talent levels, but there are some vulnerable names heading out onto the courts on Thursday and avoiding those is the challenge.

Only one selection has made through the first two days of main draw action in Miami, but better options do look available for the Thursday action. Earning an opening winner hopefully is the start of another good tournament, but there is so much tennis to get through before the direction of this event is clear as far as the Tennis Picks go anyway.

Daria Kasatkina - 3.5 games v Hailey Baptiste: There are a number of young, American WTA players fighting to make an impact on the Tour, but there will be times when things are not going quite to plan.

At 23 years old, Hailey Baptiste has time to get her career moving in the direction she would hope and the potential suggests she is stronger than the peak World Number 80 Ranking she has earned.

That was only in October 2024, but form has been tough to string together, especially on the main Tour and Hailey Baptiste has slipped to the edges of dropping out of the top 100.

A win in the First Round will be welcomed and even more so that Hailey Baptiste was able to beat a top 50 Ranked opponent having struggled when facing those players on the hard courts over the last twelve months. She has been competitive, but facing someone like Daria Kasatkina is a huge challenge compared with those players Bailey has been facing of late.

Daria Kasatkina has been something of a mixed bag so far in 2025, and she has won just one of her last four matches.

However, she is still playing a relatively decent level and Kasatkina has won five of her eight matches played against players outside of the top 50. One of those defeats was against a dangerous player in Sorana Cirstea, and the World Number 12 won the first set in the other two defeats by the same 6-1 scoreline before failing to get the job done.

It might be tougher for Hailey Baptiste to provide the same kind of resistance having been crushed by Daria Kasatkina on the hard courts near the end of the 2024 season. Her serve was attacked with real success and Daria Kasatikina can use that ability in her tennis to get the job done in this Second Round match.

Jasmine Paolini - 2.5 games v Rebecca Sramkova: Maintaining the level that took her to World Number 4 at the end of last season was always going to be a difficult challenge for Jasmine Paolini, who is extracting everything out of her tennis.

Over the next few months, the Italian has some significant points to protect and is almost certainly going to suffer a drop down the World Rankings.

It makes tournament like this one feel important having been beaten in the Third Round in Miami twelve months ago and also offers Paolini an opportunity to build up some form and momentum before the clay court tournaments begin.

She is expected to have too much for Rebecca Sramkova, the World Number 37 who has lost more matches than she has won on the hard courts in 2025.

Rebecca Sramkova has not been able to return as effectively as Jasmine Paolini, and that is likely going to make a difference in this match. Respect has to be given to the Slovakian for the fact that she has not been overwhelmed when facing the very best players on the Tour and her win over Mirra Andreeva in Doha last month has been franked very nicely by the performances of the teenager since then.

However, over the last twelve months, Rebecca Sramkova has suffered some pretty comfortable defeats to those players inside the top 20 when facing them on the hard courts. One of those was to Jasmine Paolini at the BJK Cup in November and the Italian has won the last three matches between the players having lost the first four against Rebecca Sramkova.

The change in fortunes in the head to head have come at the same time Jasmine Paolini has moved past Rebecca Sramkova in the World Rankings and she can maintain her recent dominance over this opponent.

Joao Fonseca - 3.5 games v Learner Tien: There is so much excitement around Joao Fonseca and winning a Challenger title on the hard courts in the lead up to the Miami Masters will only have given the youngster more confidence.

He was beaten by Jack Draper in the Second Round at Indian Wells, but that does not look a bad result considering the British player went on to win the title.

Joao Fonseca is performing at a high level and he should have the qualities to get past Learner Tien, another teenager who has produced some very good tennis on the Tour in 2025.

The run at the Australian Open really brought Learnier Tien to the fore, and he has reached the Quarter Final in Acapulco at an ATP 500 level event. Losing in the First Round at Indian Wells will have been a disappointment for the World Number 66 and this does look a tough draw for Learnier Tien.

These two players met at the Next Gen Finals at the end of 2024 and it was Joao Fonseca who came through both matches.

The format is a bit different with the sets played as the first to four games, but what can be taken from the two matches is how much stronger Joao Fonseca's serve was compared with Learner Tien's.

So far in 2025, it is Fonseca who is serving with more authority on the hard courts compared with his opponent and the Brazilian can use that to move into a position to progress to the Second Round with a strong win over Learner Tien.

MY PICKS: Daria Kasatkina - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Jasmine Paolini - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Joao Fonseca - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 1-0, + 0.75 Units (1 Unit Staked, + 75% Yield)