Miami Masters, 2nd round, Saturday, 03/22/2025, 4:00 p.m.
Alexander Zverev can become the number one in the world rankings in the absence of Jannik Sinner, who is banned for doping. But first of all, the Hamburg-born player has to collect enough points. In Indian Wells, that went completely awry. There, he was knocked out in the first round match against Tallon Griekspoor.
His first hurdle in Miami will be a little easier. He defeated Jacob Fearnley in straight sets at the Australian Open. With conditions faster than last week, I expect him to win again without losing a set at his comfort zone – my Zverev Fearnley tip at Winamax!
In addition to a Grand Slam title, Zverev’s big dream is to top the world rankings. He can achieve this goal in the near future. To do that, he needs to collect almost 3,000 points by the time Sinner’s ban expires. The South Tyrolean is not allowed to play in any tournaments until May 4.
In Miami, however, Zverev first has to defend his own points until the semi-finals, which is how far he got in the last tournament. He has not yet won the tournament, having lost to John Isner in the final in 2018.
The faster court conditions, the weather conditions and the fact that his favorite basketball team plays in Miami ensure that he is always happy to travel to the second 1,000 of the year. Factors that can be crucial to getting back on track!
After the Australian Open, not much has gone well so far. At the Golden Swing in Buenos Aires and Rio, he only made it to the quarterfinals. In Acapulco, he was already out in the second round against Learner Tien. Francisco Comesana took him out of the field beforehand.
Opponents he will definitely have to beat in the future to reach the top of the world rankings. In the first Masters, he met his long-time rival Tallon Griekspoor, who finally managed to record a victory against Zverev again after five defeats in a row. He won the decisive two tiebreaks in the second and third sets.
The 34th seed was no easy opponent for Zverev to start with, and now he will face the 83rd. Zverev is favored to win 1:18, and a Fearnley victory bet can be placed at 4.80 at Winamax.
The Brit is no stranger to Zverev. He has already faced the 23-year-old in the third round of Melbourne, where the underdog took the first two service games of the tournament from him, but ultimately had no chance of winning, losing 3-6, 4-6, 4-6.
Zverev was able to break his opponent’s serve five times, and was the much more dangerous server with a whopping 72 percent of successful first serves. These will come into play more than last week on the faster courts.
We can expect Zverev to score a few quick points. At the same time, the balls will still bounce high enough, which is important for the 1.98-meter-tall German, from whom I expect a reaction and aggressive play from the first minute on.
Due to the defeats recently, we are getting a whopping 1.60 for the smooth Zverev success. This is free of betting taxes at Winamax, where you can get up to 100 euros in free betting credits as a newcomer. The first duel and the conditions speak for Zverev.
How good is Fearnley in form? The Briton made it through the qualifiers without losing a set and then beat Benjamin Bonzi in three sets, fighting off seven break chances and winning in the end despite scoring eight points less than his opponent.
As against Zverev in Melbourne, he lost a lot of points, especially on his second serve. Against Nuno Borges in the Challenger of Phoenix the tournament before, he was even shakier on his serve. Against the returning Zverev, that’s not enough…
My tip:
In Melbourne, the duel was a clear-cut affair and in Miami, I expect another Zverev victory without losing a set. Not only does the world number 2 serve much better, but he also has an advantage when returning quality.
His opponent is only really getting started in 2025, but is very vulnerable on his second serve in particular, and, like Zverev used to do, often makes too many double faults.
I therefore expect Zverev to serve consistently and grab a break every now and then to win the match in two sets. Last year, he didn’t lose a set until the semi-finals and only lost one service game in four matches!
My Zverev Fearnley tip: Zverev wins in two sets
