March is a fantastic time to be a tennis fan in this country.
First off, it's nice that the weather is again consistently nice enough that outdoor tournaments can be played. The events at Indian Wells and Miami, pardon me, the Sony Open, really are a sign that Spring is upon us.
Beyond that, Indian Wells and Miami are fantastic events.
This year is certainly no exception. Indian Wells was a star-studded event that may end up being looked back upon as the event where Rafael Nadal announced that he was completely "back."
Miami, with the notable exceptions of Roger Federer and Nadal, who is still playing it safe with his knee, looks to have almost as strong a field.
To get you ready for all of the action from Miami over the next week and a half, let's look at some of the early-round matches you should be looking out for.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Gilles Simon - second round
This match would happen if Hewitt handles his business in the first round against Joao Sousa of Portugal. I'm pretty confident he'll get that done.
There's very little to not like about Hewitt's game. He grinds, he fights, he plays out every single point and every so often in a match, he'll give you a glimpse of what made him the top-ranked player in the world about a decade ago.
You can't even really get upset about his demeanor anymore. When he was first bursting onto the scene, tennis lifers bristled at his on-court snarl and the way he yelled "Come on!" after big points. Now, those two traits make him just one of literally hundreds of players on tour that snarl and yell on the court.
Simon is the type of player that frustrates you to no end if you are a fan of his. Often times, he seems content to just push the ball around the court and extend points until one player or the other can make a circus shot.
But up against a grinder like Hewitt, that style can make for a fun match.
I like Hewitt if this match comes to fruition. The Aussie is going to struggle from here on out in his career against the biggest hitters on tour, but against a guy like Simon that is going to let him hang around, he can get the job done.
Ryan Harrison vs. James Blake - first round
Here we have a match between two American players whose careers are passing like ships in the night.
James Blake has spent the last few years battling injuries and inconsistency. As much as I would like to see it, it's getting really tough to imagine a scenario where Blake battles his way back into the top-50 or so.
Every so often, though, he is able to put it all together and give us an inspired performance.
Harrison is undoubtedly on the upswing of his career, but some are beginning to get impatient with his development. He clearly has the game, but sometimes he struggles with the mental side of the sport. There are no questions about his hunger, though, and I think that will ultimately serve him well.
In this one, I expect to see some of the best of both players. Blake will be looking to show the younger generation of players that the old guard is still a factor and Harrison will be looking to show that he is both the future and present of American tennis.
In a related note, Harrison finally has a manageable draw. He has had such bad luck with draws at big events. He often finds himself up against one of the giants of the game in the first or second round. In Miami, if the draw holds, he will have winnable matches against Julien Benneteau and Juan Monaco before having to face Juan Martin del Potro.
Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. David Goffin - second round
For this to happen, Goffin would have to beat Robin Haase in the first round. That's a solid opponent, but I'm confident in Goffin.
Kohlschreiber has a way of sneaking up in events like this. The German has a good game for these hard courts and he's due for one of those deep runs that few see coming.
After bursting onto the scene last year, Goffin has yet to take the next step in his development and force his way into a seed in events like this.
If Goffin is going to make a move like that, Kohlschreiber is an opponent he can get that run started against. On the other hand, Kohlschreiber is the type of guy that can give a young player lots of trouble. He isn't going to beat himself and he is going to force his opponent to play a sound match.
Either player would be disappointed with a loss in this round and both would have to chalk this up as a good win.
Andy Murray vs. Bernard Tomic - second round
We would get this match if Tomic wins his first round match against Marc Gicquel. The fact that that's not a given illustrates exactly why this match would be exciting.
No outcome for Bernard Tomic would be a surprise. Just as he could drop his first round match to Gicquel, he could come out on fire and beat Andy Murray.
It's also just about time that we see a move from Tomic. So far in his career, he's the type of player that crumbles under pressure and thrives when no one is expecting anything from him.
It will also be interesting to see what kind of form Murray is in. He has, by design, played few events since the Australian Open. Then, at Indian Wells, he was upset in the quarters against del Potro and wasn't even all that competitive in the last two sets.
Robby Ginepri vs. Yen-Hsun Lu - first round
Okay, so I picked this match pretty much solely because I'm a sucker for nostalgia. It's easy to forget that Ginepri once made the semifinals of the US Open and was considered one of the real up and comers in American tennis.
He never again reached that pinnacle and he quickly fell behind others in the pecking order of American players, but it speaks well of him that he's still plugging away at it as hard as ever.
For that, he has my support and my attention when he takes the court.
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