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Carlos Alcaraz is set to headline the men's draw at the 2024 Miami Open fresh off his second Indian Wells crown.
With World No. 1 Novak Djokovic's withdrawal, the Spaniard will lead the line as the top seed at the second ATP Masters 1000 event of the year. The tournament is set to take place between 20-31 March at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Top seed at last year's event, Alcaraz strolled into the last four without dropping a set. Jannik Sinner, however, halted him in his tracks, claiming a 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 win in what was a re-match of their Indian Wells semi-final clash a few weeks earlier that Alcaraz won.
The Spaniard did win the tournament in 2022, beating Casper Ruud in the final.
Alcaraz, a two-time Grand Slam winner, has had a rather slow start to the 2024 season given his lofty standards. His title in Indian Wells was his first since the famous Wimbledon win against Djokovic last year. A win in Miami will make him the eighth man in history to complete the famed Sunshine Double.
Set to begin his quest for a second Miami title over the weekend, here's a look at Alcaraz's path to a second Miami Open final:
Possible R2 opponent - Aleksandar Vukic
Carlos Alcaraz will receive a first-round bye and could take on either Aleksandar Vukic or Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round.
Vukic is currently 2-7 for the season. He took Novak Djokovic the distance in the second round in Indian Wells, losing a grueling three-set encounter 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
Alcaraz and Vukic are yet to face off on tour.
Possible R3 opponent - Borna Coric
Carlos Alcaraz could face Borna Coric in the third round should they both make it safely through.
Coric has had a slow start to the year. His best result is a runner-up finish at the Open Sud De France, where he was beaten by Kazakh Alexander Bublik 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Coric reached the second round at the Indian Wells Masters but lost to 25th seed Jan-Lennard Struff.
Alcaraz and Coric have faced off once on tour, in the semi-finals of the 2023 Madrid Masters. Alcaraz beat Coric 6-4, 6-4 in that match en route to the title.
Possible R4 opponent - Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton has had a relatively good start to his 2024 season and could come up against Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster fourth-round clash at the Miami Open.
The 21-year-old American has recorded a couple of semi-final showings this year, at the ASB Classic and Dallas Open. Shelton reached the third round of the Australian Open but was beaten by French veteran Adrian Mannarino in a five-set epic. He reached the fourth round at the Indian Wells Masters last week, losing 7-6 (4), 6-1 to reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz won the only encounter between the pair, at the 2023 Canadian Open.
Possible QF opponent - Hubert Hurkacz
Eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz could stand in Carlos Alacaraz's way in the last eight.
The Pole hasn't had the best start to the year. He reached the semi-finals at the Open 13 in Marseille and has had two quarter-final showings - at the Australian Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships. He suffered a shock opening-round loss to French veteran Gael Monfils in Indian Wells.
Hurkacz will have to get past the likes of Sebastian Korda and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the last eight. Alcaraz currently leads the head-to-head against the Pole 3-0.
Possible SF opponent - Alexander Zverev
Carlos Alcaraz could come up against familiar foe Alexander Zverev in the last four should they both make it safely through.
Zverev has shown glimpses of brilliance this season but is yet to win a title. He reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open but blew a two-set lead in the semi-finals against Daniil Medvedev. He reached the last four in Los Cabos and the last eight at the Indian Wells Masters.
Alcaraz and Zverev have faced off nine times already, in what is becoming a thrilling rivalry. Zverev currently leads it 5-4.
The pair have played twice this season, with the honors split evenly. Zverev won their clash at the Australian Open while Alcaraz got the better of him in Indian Wells.
Should Zverev not make it through, Alcaraz could expect the likes of Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur who are also lurking in this quarter of the draw.
Possible Final opponent - Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner is the favorite to make it through the bottom half of the draw despite defending champion Daniil Medvedev potentially standing in his way.
The Italian No. 3 has been on a roll in 2024, sitting pretty with a 16-1 W/L record. His first loss of the season came at Indian Wells last week where he lost to Alcaraz in the semi-finals. He's already picked up trophies at the Australian Open and Rotterdam Open.
Sinner and Alcaraz have played each other eight times in what is deemed the hottest rivalry on tour currently. The pair have split honors equally with four wins each.
Alcaraz won their most recent encounter at the Indian Wells Masters, but Sinner won their clash in Miami last year at the very same stage.
With the Miami Open courts set to play a little quicker than the IW courts, the upper hand could be with Sinner who has a more powerful game.
While an Alcaraz vs Sinner match is a statistician's favorite at this point, you cannot discount the possibility of other players making it to the summit clash too. Defending champions Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev are strong favorites to make it to the final day.
