Jack Draper and Mirra Andreeva will both be looking to making it a Double over the next several days, but the rivals would have been getting ready as they look for the last big hard court title until August in the build up to the US Open.
Things have not all been plain-sailing between Indian Wells and Miami and that was after news broke that the Player Council that had been put together several years ago with the likes of Novak Djokovic attached will now be challenging the ATP and WTA Tour as well as the ITF in the courts as the prospect of a 'breakaway' Tour continues to be spoken about.
We have seen Golf suffer the same fate and the financial backing is surely going to be provided by those in the Middle East with deep pockets and the ambition to take over much of the sporting world. That is a story for another day, but the first step is this court case and whether the PTPA lawsuit can prove that the 'cartel' are not doing the best for the sport.
For all the good intentions being spoken about, ultimately it comes down to the top players wanting more money, but breaking up the Tour in the current form does not seem the best idea. We will see how it all plays out though and whether and 'reforms' are offered by the Tours.
Some of the players that have attached their name to the lawsuit are going to be playing in Miami this week and it will be interesting to see what kind of reaction they get from the crowds, but it was clear that the very top names have not get involved at this stage.
The suggestion is that they have wanted this lawsuit to come from a host of tennis players and not have one or two leading names taking the headlines, but the real feeling is that the top names don't want to get too involved at this stage, especially if things do not pan out as expected.
Maybe that is being cynical, but it is still early days and the fight has only just begun.
Instead having a big name join if the first battles are won could make a really big impact at a big moment and that could be the reason for holding back right now, rather than players worrying about potential financial implications.
The First Round in Miami started on Tuesday with the WTA tournament getting underway, but the ATP will join the party on Wednesday.
First Round matches have been tough to find selections from, but there is one from the play scheduled for Wednesday, which can be read below.
It was a poor result in Indian Wells and the 2025 totals have been updated at the bottom of the page. Bouncing back in Miami is the focus for the remainder of the month and then attention will turn to the clay court season and trying to make a really positive push into Roland Garros.
Alexander Bublik - 2.5 games v Sebastian Baez: Strong performances on the clay courts has helped Sebastian Baez maintain his World Ranking, but it has been a year long struggle for Alexander Bublik.
Dropping down to World Number 80 having hit his peak Rank in May last year of Number 17 underlines the kind of form Alexander Bublik has been in for much of the last twelve months.
Moving onto the clay courts is not going to offer much respite for someone who is likely going to have to Qualify for at least one of the upcoming Masters events to be played on the red dirt in the lead up to the French Open.
In saying all that, it is perhaps a surprise to see Alexander Bublik down as the favourite and this is the kind of player that would have to be avoided even if he is playing Sebastian Baez who has shown little real appetite for the early Masters events on the hard courts.
The win-loss record at Indian Wells and Miami tells a tale and Sebastian Baez has yet to win a main draw match here since really breaking through on the Tour. He has not exactly ripped things up in Indian Wells either, where the heavier conditions could aid someone happy to be playing on the clay, and the World Number 36 has lost all three hard court matches played in 2025.
Alexander Bublik had also been struggling for wins having lost eight of the first ten hard court matches played in 2025 culminating in a disappointing opening loss at Indian Wells. However, the decision to pack the racquet and make a short journey to Phoenix to play a Challenger has paid off for Bublik and reaching the Final there will at least have raised the confidence levels.
Battling through some of the early matches in Phoenix will have helped and the conditions should been in Alexander Bublik's favour in South Florida.
He is not easy to trust considering the form and the tendency to lose all focus on the court, but Sebastian Baez can aid Bublik with a poor hard court serve and the lower Ranked player can at least underline his favouritism for the victory.
MY PICKS: Alexander Bublik - 2.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
2025 Season: 54-41, + 11.22 Units (133 Units Staked, + 8.44% Yield)
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