ATP Masters in Miami, 1st round, Thursday, 2025/03/20, 12:30 a.m.
How successful will the next Masters be for the German tennis pros? The journey from Indian Wells to Miami took several hours, but that’s no excuse for a poor debut.
I’m keeping a particularly close eye on Daniel Altmaier now. His recent approaches have been quite promising, though he’s never made it past the second round in Miami.
I think he has a good chance of making it to the tiebreak in his first match. Why? I’ll tell you in my Wong Altmaier tip!
Daniel Altmaier is currently ranked 82nd in the world – that’s not what he aspires to in 2025. So far, better and worse results have alternated, but Indian Wells passed him by completely.
The 26-year-old lost directly to Cristian Garin in the qualifiers. He traveled to Punta Cana feeling angry, but vacation was not on the program there.
At the Challenger, he was able to beat Dusan Lajovic (6-2, 6-7, 6-2) and David Goffin, who was seeded at position four (6-2, 6-7, 6-3), but was later knocked out in three sets by Aleksandar Kovacevic (6-4, 4-6, 3-6).
Altmaier had only allowed one break in total against Lajovic and Goffin, and his serve was on. So he is making progress, but in small, cautious steps. Is Miami a good place for top results?
Last year, he reached the second round here for the first time, losing 3-6, 3-6 to Jan-Lennard Struff in the all-German clash. Interestingly, all of Altmaier’s previous matches in Miami, including those in qualifying, had only featured two sets.
In Punta Cana, things looked quite different: Altmaier had to go the full distance three times. He always won the first set. If you are satisfied with odds of just under 1.50, we recommend taking a look at Bet365.
There you can bet that Altmaier will win the first set for the fourth time in a row. But I also recognize that the German lost a tiebreak twice in the Dominican Republic.
In any case, he is meeting Coleman Wong for the first time, and is the favorite according to the bookmakers. The odds are on average 1.30 to 3.20 in his favor.
His upcoming opponent is only 20 years old and currently ranked 182nd in the world – exactly 100 places behind Altmaier. He made his debut in Miami in 2024, but after successfully qualifying, he lost to Laslo Djere.
Wong, like Altmaier, was listed in Punta Cana, but his tournament was already over in the round of 16 after a 2-6, 6-7 against Aleksandar Kovacevic – Altmaier later also lost to the American.
Before that, Wong had beaten Billy Harris 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. So I recognize two tiebreaks, Wong seems to be not so unlike Altmaier in that respect. Since the Australian Open, where he failed in qualifying, he has had four narrow victories to mention.
Since Wong usually competes in smaller challenger tournaments, he has not been able to beat any better-known names. So at first glance it seems as if he is on a par with Daniel Altmaier, only he lacks a bit of routine.
My Wong Altmaier tip
The start has to be right, then maybe it can go beyond the second round! Daniel Altmaier was able to redeem himself somewhat in Punta Cana, at least reaching the quarterfinals. Three three-set matches, that must have taken a lot of strength…
With Coleman Wong, an opponent is now waiting who can also serve well. He may be inferior to the German in pure technique, but Altmaier also lost two tiebreaks in Punta Cana.
Therefore, I can well imagine a match between equals. Both players are similar in size and rely on their service. That actually makes my bet stand out on its own, which is:
A tiebreak is at least possible!
