Having concluded the first leg of the Sunshine double, we’re now well and truly underway in the second leg of the ATP 1000 in Miami. Following on from Day 1, we at LWOT continue to offer our insights and predictions on the matches and what we might expect. Let’s get right into it.

ATP Miami Day 2 Predictions
Adam Walton vs Sebastian Baez

Head-to-head: First meeting

Adam Walton has done well to come through qualifying, and his first match is against one of the ATP’s fiercest competitors. Sebastian Baez generally prefers the dirt on clay courts but is more than capable of holding his own on hard courts. With matches in this tournament already under his belt, Walton comes into this battle-tested and should put up a good fight. Nonetheless, it’s difficult to look past Baez, who should work himself into this match and take the win eventually.
Prediction: Baez in 3

Gabriel Diallo vs Yibing Wu

Head-to-head: First meeting

A first-time match-up between two players who have had indifferent seasons. The Chinese player comes into this having received a wild card. Diallo probably comes into this more match-tested and arguably in better shape, having beaten Andrey Rublev and taken a set off Felix Auger-Aliassime in Indian Wells. The boost those matches would have given him is why I think he wins this.
Prediction: Diallo in 2

Ignacio Buse vs Damir Dzumhur

Head-to-head: First meeting

The Bosnian, Dzuhmur, comes into this match with almost no form, having won only one match since February and two in the entire year. Buse, on the other hand, has played most of his matches this year on clay. However, he came through qualifying here and played two matches at Indian Wells, so he should be better suited to the surface by now. Anything other than a win against the struggling Dzumhur has to be considered a very disappointing result. The time spent here already bodes well for him and should translate on match day.
Prediction: Buse in 3

Marin Cilic vs Alexei Popyrin

Head-to-head: Cilic 2-1 Popyrin

Having enjoyed a decent start to the year, the aging Cilic has now lost his last three matches. Fortunately, he comes up against a player who has been enduring an even more torrid time, stretching since last year. It represents an opportunity for the 37-year-old to halt his mini bad run. It might be a bit of a struggle early on for both players, but I expect the vast experience of Cilic to come through for him in the end.
Prediction: Cilic in 3

Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images