Following first-round byes, a couple of left-handers will kick off their campaigns at the Miami Masters on Saturday. Cameron Norrie is going up against Alex Michelsen, while Corentin Moutet faces Tomas Machac.
Alex Michelsen vs. (23) Cameron Norrie
Norrie and Michelsen will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they collide in round two of the Miami Open on Saturday. They faced each other in back-to-back weeks right around this time last year, splitting the two encounters. Norrie prevailed 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 on the indoor hard courts of Dallas before Michelsen got revenge with a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory in Delray Beach.
At 40th in the rankings, Michelsen missed out on a first-round bye this week. However, that may not necessarily be a bad thing. The 21-year-old has adjusted to the change in conditions from Indian Wells to Miami, as he trounced Mattia Bellucci 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday. Norrie is coming off a quarterfinal result in the desert, but he has always been much better there than in South Beach. The 24th-ranked Brit is a mere 5-7 lifetime at this Masters 1000 event and has lost his opening match in two of his last three appearances.
Pick: Michelsen in 3
(30) Corentin Moutet vs. Tomas Machac
It may be somewhat alarming to see Moutet as the seeded player in a matchup with Machac, but that is exactly the case in Miami. Due in part to a nice run on summer hard courts in 2025, Moutet is up to No. 33 in the world and secured a seed thanks to a couple of withdrawals. Unfortunately for the 26-year-old Frenchman, he is just 2-4 on the main tour this season and is coming off a loss in the Phoenix Challenger semifinals to Marcos Giron.
You never know which Machac is going to show up on any given day, but already advancing one round in the 305 is an encouraging sign (the 48th-ranked Czech overcame Emilo Nava 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Friday). If anything close to the best version of Machac is on display, he should be able to take advantage of a struggling opponent.
Pick: Machac in 2