The second leg of the Sunshine Double continues on Thursday, as the ATP Miami Open hosts 16 men’s matches. The four in this article feature players meeting for the very first time. As always, we at LWOT have previews and predictions for these matches. But who will advance?
ATP Miami Day 2 Predictions
Tomas Machac vs Emilio Nava
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Tomas Machac arrives in Miami looking to halt a rare slide, having dropped his last three matches after lifting the Adelaide title in January. The Czech hasn’t played much since that breakthrough, but when his rhythm clicks, especially behind the first serve, he remains a dangerous proposition on hard courts.
Emilio Nava isn’t exactly brimming with confidence either, carrying his own three-match skid and still searching for consistency at Tour-level. On paper, this is Machac’s match to dictate if he finds his serve early, the outcome should be firmly on his racquet.
Prediction: Machac in 2
Arthur Cazaux vs Tomás Barrios Vera
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Arthur Cazaux is still trying to find his rhythm in 2026. The Frenchman, who climbed to a career-high ranking of #58 last October, has barely featured since early January, managing just a handful of Challenger outings after failing to break through qualifying in Brisbane. There’s little doubt about his talent, but match sharpness could be an issue as he steps back onto the main stage.
That uncertainty gives Tomas Barrios Vera a real look-in. The Chilean is closing in on a third tour-level win of the season, matching his career best, but remains far more comfortable on clay. On paper, this matchup leans toward Cazaux if he can shake off the rust, with Barrios Vera’s surface preference potentially offering the Frenchman the ideal opening in their first career meeting. But with two matches already in Miami, give me the Chilean to stage an upset.
Prediction: Barrios Vera in 3
Valentin Royer vs Thiago Agustín Tirante
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Valentin Royer is desperate to stop the slide in 2026. The Frenchman has managed just one win all year and arrives on the back of 10 defeats in his last 11 tour-level matches, a run that has stalled any momentum and piled pressure on the World No. 69.
Standing in his way is lucky loser Thiago Agustin Tirante, who comes in with nothing to lose. The Argentine has picked up most of his five wins this season on clay, but sitting just outside Royer in the rankings, this feels like a free swing. That mindset makes him a genuine upset threat in what suddenly looks like a far more dangerous matchup than it appears on paper.
Prediction: Tirante in 3
Terence Atmane vs Daniel Altmaier
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
There are only a handful of ranking spots separating Terence Atmane and Daniel Altmaier, but right now they’re moving in completely different directions. Atmane is hovering around a career-high level, playing with growing belief, while Altmaier has endured a brutal start to 2026, still searching for his first win after an 0–8 skid.
On paper, the German sits as only a slight underdog, but form and confidence tell a very different story. Atmane looks the steadier, sharper option, and this feels like a match on his racquet.
Prediction: Atmane in 3
Main Photo Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images