The Miami Open delivers a trio of intriguing matchups with very different storylines. First up is Alcaraz vs. Korda, a third-round test that carries real significance for the American. Korda announced himself in the spring of 2021 by reaching the Delray Beach final and the Miami quarterfinals. The 6’5″ frame, the major-champion father and the ultra-smooth two-handed backhand helped prompt praise from Martina Navratilova at the time.

Five years on, Korda has not reached a Grand Slam semifinal or cracked the Top 10. He is ranked 36th in the world and seventh among U.S. men. At 25 he is still in development, and this season has begun positively: healthy and working with new coach Ryan Harrison. Korda is 11-5 in 2026, reached a Challenger final in San Diego, made a quarterfinal in Dallas and converted a Delray final into a title this time.

Korda is 1-4 against Alcaraz; his lone victory came in 2022 on clay in Monte Carlo. Since then they met three times and Alcaraz has not dropped a set. Their last meeting was in 2024, and Alcaraz already appeared dialed in during his opening-round win. This one is a major measuring stick for Korda and Harrison, particularly on serve and competitive energy. Winner: Alcaraz

The Keys vs. Zheng match promises power from both players. Keys, after winning the 2025 Australian Open, sits at No. 18. Zheng, who reached a career high of No. 4 last summer and underwent right elbow surgery, is back at No. 26. They have met once on hard courts in D.C. three years ago, with Keys winning in two sets. Zheng is 23 and Keys is 31; the key question is how much rust Zheng has shed in roughly a month back on tour. I expect Zheng to have enough. Winner: Zheng

On Court 1, Jovic and Gibson meet at tour level for the first time. Jovic is 18 and a career-high No. 17, arriving off a strong Australian swing and a 15-6 start to the season. Gibson, 21, advanced from qualifying to the Indian Wells quarterfinals and has again qualified in Miami, adding two main-draw wins and a victory over Naomi Osaka. The pair met once on grass in an ITF match last year, a three-set Jovic win. Jovic offers polish, speed and variety; Gibson brings natural power and a two-handed backhand that can decide the day.

Iva Jovic converted a painful loss at Indian Wells into a commanding performance at the Miami Open, and she says a simple mental habit borrowed from another elite athlete has helped.

The 18-year-old was edged in three sets by Camila Osorio at the BNP Paribas Open, holding three match points on her serve before losing 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3. Jovic addressed that defeat and the work of moving on in candid fashion: “I think I’m still maybe not completely over it!” Jovic said with a grin in Miami. “Matches like those are brutal…

“I just try to think of it, like, how can I play that match so that it never gets to 5-4 in the second set? You win two and two, and then you’re never in a position to be saving match points.”

She followed that approach on court against former world No. 2 Paula Badosa, winning 6-2, 6-1 to reach the third round in her first main-draw appearance at the event. Afterward, Jovic revealed she has adopted journaling to reset and sharpen her thinking, crediting freestyle skier Eileen Gu for the idea. “Shout out to Eileen Gu! She inspired me to do some journaling, as well,” Jovic told press. “I loved her comments. Right now I’m (journaling) almost every day… So, thank you Eileen!”

Gu described her analytical approach to mental performance during the 2026 Winter Olympics: “I spend a lot of time in my head, and it’s not a bad place to be,” Gu said in Milan-Cortina. “I journal a lot. I break down all of my thought processes. I think I apply a very analytical lens to my own thinking, and I kind of modify it.”

Jovic has quickly embraced the habit. “I really like it,” Jovic said. “Sometimes when you have something you’re struggling with or a problem, half of it is just writing it down. And then you’re halfway to solving it. It’s helpful.”

She said the confidence also comes from preparation. “I think for me, it just comes from knowing the work that I put in. I think I train a lot. I work very hard when I’m on the court, so I just trust that it’s going to pay off and that I’m doing the right things. So in those tough moments, I know I’ve prepared for this. I’m ready for what happens.” The season has included a breakthrough run to the Australian Open quarterfinals and guidance from Novak Djokovic earlier in the year.

Daniil Medvedev endured travel setbacks before his Miami Open match but ultimately produced a steady recovery to defeat Rei Sakamoto, 6-7 (10), 6-3, 6-1. The former world No. 1 arrived at Hard Rock Stadium after a delayed luggage arrival and used patience and consistency to turn a precarious start into a decisive finish.

Medvedev had already faced disruption earlier in the Sunshine Swing, nearly missing the BNP Paribas Open after being stranded in Dubai. Those off-court headaches contrasted with a strong run on court: he came into Miami off a runner-up finish in Indian Wells. That event, usually noted for slow conditions that can frustrate Medvedev, proved favorable to him this year — he thrived in the California desert and even snapped Carlos Alcaraz’s 16-match winning streak en route to the championship match.

The slow conditions in Miami initially played into the hands of his opponent. Sakamoto, a 19-year-old IMG Academy alum, claimed a 22-point tiebreaker to take the first set and had Medvedev on the ropes. But Medvedev, seeded No. 9, steadied his game on Stadium Court and found a rhythm as the match progressed.

“It’s completely different conditions [here],” Medvedev said on court after the match. “It’s always been. Usually, I feel like it’s kind of quicker in Miami—not too much, but a bit. This year, it’s slower because Indian Wells was fast, so it feels much slower. The serve can still work but in the points it’s much slower. I was losing the rhythm and I was just not ready for the ball to react the way it was reacting.”

Medvedev said he sensed a drop in his opponent’s energy as the match lengthened. “I’m super happy I managed to build up moment and also the tiredness in him because he’s still a junior in a way,” he said after the match. “It’s not easy for him. He’s going to learn from this. So, I’m happy I managed to put it up and win the match.”