Miami Open: Del Potro faces tough path to Sunshine Double

Juan Martin del Potro finds himself in a stacked quarter of the draw that includes Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic as he attempts to win a third straight ATP title in Miami this week.

Del Potro, who has soared to world No.6 on the back of his Indian Wells triumph and his victory in Acapulco the week before that, is the fifth seed at the Miami Open.

The Argentine, who has not progressed beyond the fourth round at Key Biscayne since reaching the semifinals in 2009, receives a first-round bye before taking on either Yuichi Sugita or Robin Haase in round two.

> ATP Miami Open main draw

Then things could get tricky. Former world No.4 Nishikori, seeded 26th, could await in round three, before a potential fourth-round meeting with six-time Miami champion Djokovic.

Safe to say Delpo might be thinking the same thing following the @MiamiOpen draw! To get to the quarter-finals, he may need to beat six-time champ Djokovic & 2016 finalist Nishikori.

???? https://t.co/XL0b3Stv2m pic.twitter.com/cV1G9PoZNz

— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) March 19, 2018

Djokovic is seeded No.9 yet is short on form and matches; the Serb faces either Mischa Zverev or Benoit Paire in the second round before a projected third-round meeting with compatriot Filip Krajinovic, the 22nd seed.

Also in Del Potro’s quarter are third seed Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic, whom Del Potro beat in the Indian Wells semifinals last week.

Who’s completed the Sunshine Double?

Del Potro will join an illustrious list of just seven men should he go back-to-back in Indian Wells and Miami, dating back to when Miami debuted on the calendar in 1985.

Elsewhere in the draw …

Roger Federer, the defending champion, top seed and world No.1, heads the Miami Open draw.

After losing his first match of the season in the Indian Wells final to Del Potro, he must now reach at least the quarterfinal stage in Miami to hang on to his top ranking.

> FEDERER: “Indian Wells defeat will sting”

Federer has few legitimate threats in his quarter of the draw, yet does face an interesting projected third-round meeting with fellow veteran Fernando Verdasco, the No.31 seed.

Kevin Anderson, the sixth seed, is the next highest-ranked player in that quarter; should the seedings hold he would face Federer in the last eight.

Second quarter offers glimpse into future

Also in the top half of the draw, there’s a decidedly “Next Gen” feel to the second quarter.

It’s headed by No.4 seed Alexander Zverev, who after a first-round bye would face either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas, aged 22 and 19 respectively.

Should Zverev navigate the early rounds he faces a projected meeting in the last 16 with Nick Kyrgios; last year at the same tournament, Kyrgios defeated Zverev in a thrilling three-set quarterfinal.

Also in that quarter is 29th seed Borna Coric, the 21-year-old who advanced to the Indian Wells semifinals and had Federer on the ropes before going down. Coric is expected to meet No.8 seed Jack Sock in the third round.

Another is Canadian teen Denis Shapovalov, who opens against Viktor Troicki for a shot at No.24 seed Damir Dzumhur in round two.

Cilic, Goffin head bottom quarter

Second seed Marin Cilic is the most notable name in the bottom quarter, which also features the return of David Goffin.

The Belgian, seeded No.7, is making a comeback after being sidelined for more than a month following a freak eye injury sustained in Rotterdam.

Like all seeds in the draw, Cilic and Goffin have first round byes. Goffin begins against the winner of the Ryan Harrison-Joao Sousa match while Cilic takes on either Taylor Fritz or Pierre-Hugues Herbert, both of whom performed strongly at Indian Wells.