TennisSection previews the 2021 Miami Open as Felix Auger-Aliassime (11) meets John Isner (18) in the Third Round on Sunday March 28th, 2021.
This is certain to be a very entertaining match between two seeded players here at the 2021 Miami Open. Felix Auger-Aliassime is considered one of the brightest young talents on the ATP Tour, and he meets the veteran American John Isner, who is considered to have one of the biggest serves of all time. There will certainly be lots of flashy shot making and aces involved here in this match, and will be an exciting one for the fans. Who will get the win here and advance to the Round of 16?
Felix Auger-Aliassime is a young Canadian superstar that has long been considered a future top 10 player. Currently ranked #17, he is not far off and that goal is easily attainable with a strong season in 2021. He has been impressive thus far at the 2021 Miami Open, defeating a tough opponent in Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the Second Round and will be hoping to translate that good form into a deep run here. The Canadian has had success here in Miami before, reaching the Semi-Finals the last time this event was held here in 2019. Felix Auger-Aliassime has built up some serious momentum, playing some outstanding tennis in Acapulco before falling to eventual Finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets in the Quarter-Finals. He enters this match against John Isner as the favorite, but knows that it will not be easy against the veteran.
John Isner is currently ranked #28 in the ATP world rankings but has been as high as #8 just a few years ago. Like his opponent, he has had considerable success here in Miami, winning the title in 2018 and being a finalist in 2019. He reached the Second Round in Acapulco, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas but displayed some of the big serving that makes him such a feared opponent. Here at the 2021 Miami Open he reached this stage by fighting from a set down to defeat Mackenzie McDonald in the Second Round. While he will be happy with that performance, he will know that Felix Auger-Aliassime is a much stronger opponent, so he will have to be at his absolute best here to have a chance of advancing.
Felix Auger-Aliassime and John Isner have faced each other once before on the ATP Tour, and the American leads their head to head series 1-0. They played in the Semi-Finals here in Miami two years ago, with Isner winning in two tie-breakers. However, their careers have gone in drastically different directions since then, and a different outcome is likely. I believe that Felix Auger-Aliassime will win this match, but it will be very close. While his results have shown otherwise recently, John Isner is still a very difficult opponent to face, and his serve is still one of the best in the business. A tiebreaker is very likely, and I expect the young Canadian to get a tough win here and advance to the Round of 16 here at the 2021 Miami Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win.
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