The 2019 Miami Open presented by Itau is in full flight as the fourth round session is set for today. When it comes to who could be the winner, that's a burning question as things could be a bit trickier. While the current world No. 1 and six-time champion, Novak Djokovic, seems in pole position, the Serb's overall Tennis output has been a bit under his own standards. And that brings Roger Federer into the debate as the last week's runner-up in Indian Wells seeks to cap the Sunshine Double swing with another Masters 1000 title in his pocket and the first one since the 2017 Rolex Shanghai Masters.
According to Reuters, Roger Federer overcame a slow start to the match to eventually capture a straight-set win over Filip Krajonovic of Serbia who had beaten Stan Wawrinka in the previous round, thus denying Federer another clash with his fellow countryman.
The NextGen pack is threatening Federer's half of the draw
According to the official main draw, Roger Federer is set to take on Daniil Medvedev (15 ATP) for a place in the last eight in Miami. The 23-year-old Russian lost his previous two matches against the Swiss star, but his overall tennis output has seen an upward trend recently. He also survived a three-set thriller against Reilly Opelka in the previous round.
Should he gets past the Russian player, Roger Federer is set to take on the winner between Kevin Anderson and Jordan Thompson who produced the upset by edging past Grigor Dimitrov.
The Miami Open seems to be a fertile ground for the so-called NextGen. The fourth and last quarter of the draw has some interesting names trying to reach the higher stages and possibly threatening Roger Federer's bid for the title.
An explosive clash is set to take place between Stefanos Tsitsipas (10 ATP) and Denis Shapovalov (23 ATP). The winner of this youngblood-based blockbuster will cross paths with either David Goffin or the young American star Frances Tiafoe.
As far as the head to head between Federer and his potential opponents go, Jordan Thompson and Denis Shapovalov are the only ones the Swiss star has never crossed swords with yet.
A possible final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic
As the tournament progresses, so does the excitement level as the possibility of another Federer vs Djokovic match becomes greater with each round that passes by. With many top-seeded players out in the early stages, they seem to have an easier path moving deeper into the tournament.
The stakes are high for both. Roger Federer seeks to capture his fourth Miami title while Novak Djokovic seeks to win a record-breaking seventh crown. Federer may also want to end the drought on a Masters 1000 level as he has lost all his previous three final of this kind.