Miami Spice: Where the action moves to this week

The 2019 Miami Open will make its debut at Hard Rock Stadium this week and tennis fans will have the opportunity to see one of the best player fields in tennis at its new lifestyle and entertainment venue.

For those looking for some geographical point, the centre sits quite literally in the carpark of the Miami Dolphins NFL complex.

An extraordinary complex that has seen a multi-million dollar investment give the much-travelled event a permanent home.

This year’s lineup features 19 players who have combined to win 109 career Grand Slam singles titles including all-time record holders Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Reigning Australian Open champions, and the world’s No. 1 ranked players, Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka top one of the strongest ATP and WTA tournament draws of 2019.

Overall, each of the top 79 ranked men and 76 ranked women have entered to compete in Miami.

Federer and Djokovic lead a men’s field that includes 17-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, and former US Open champions Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic, along with defending Miami Open champion John Isner.
The player field also boasts the next generation of ATP stars including World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, Australian Open semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, American Frances Tiafoe and Australian Nick Kyrgios.

The women’s field is even more impressive. Osaka, winner of the last two Grand Slam singles titles, leads a field that includes 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and defending Miami Open champion Sloane Stephens. Fans also will have the opportunity to see seven-time Grand Slam Champion Venus Williams, five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, three-time  Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber, two-time Grand Slam winner Garbiñe Muguruza, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, reigning French Open champion Simona Halep, 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki  and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Tournament Owner IMG and Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross partnered to keep the Miami Open in Miami and have worked together to build a permanent world-class tennis facility that will provide an elevated fan experience while incorporating a unique Miami look and feel.
The improved amenities will allow the tournament to host a true lifestyle and entertainment event featuring the best in tennis, art, food and music.

The Miami Open, unique among other top tournaments with its blending of the international sport that is tennis with the international city that is Miami, has long flavoured top-tier tennis matches with an immersive cultural experience. From art and music to food and fashion, the Miami Open annually displays an array of cultures and influences that define the South Florida region.
Eugenie Bouchard, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Reilly Opelka are just a few of the big names in action on Day 1.

Bouchard is slowly working her back into the form that took her into the 2014 Wimbledon final and a top-5 ranking. She will face Japanese player Nao Hibino.

Tsonga, the runner-up at the 2008 Australian Open is in the first round of qualifying. The 33-year-old Frenchman, who is known for his boisterous on-court personality, is working his way back from a knee injury.

Opelka headlines a large contingent of young Americans in qualifying. There are 18 in total — nine women and eight men, and Opelka is the highest-seeded player among them at No. 3. The 21-year-old American, who stands about 6’11” and took down a similarly-towering John Isner at the first major of the year in Melbourne, goes up against Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland.

In other women’s qualifying, Kaia Kanepi, who has reached six Grand Slam quarterfinals in her career, will face Paula Badosa Gibert. Kristyna Plíšková, the twin sister of No. 5 seed Karolina Plíšková, will face Ana Bogdan.

In men’s qualifying, 15-year tour veteran and French Open doubles champion in 2008 Pablo Cuevas will take on Egor Gerasimov. Dan Evans, a member of Britain’s 2015 Davis Cup-winning team, will take on Tatsuma Ito. Andrey Rublev, last year’s finalist here in men’s doubles alongside Karen Khachanov, will take on American Jared Donaldson.

Qualifying rounds will be March 18-19 and will determine 12 additional slots in each singles draw. The Miami Open also will award wildcards to five men and eight women. The women’s main draw begins on Tuesday, March 19, followed by the first round of the men’s main draw on Wednesday, March 20.

WHO’S THERE

WOMEN

Naomi Osaka JPN 1
Petra Kvitova CZE 2
Simona Halep ROU 3
Sloane Stephens USA 4
Karolina Pliskova CZE 5
Angelique Kerber GER 6
Elina Svitolina UKR 7
Kiki Bertens NED 8
Aryna Sabalenka BLR 9
Caroline Wozniacki DEN 10
Serena Williams USA 11
Anastasija Sevastova LAT 12
Ashleigh Barty AUS 13
Daria Kasatkina RUS 14
Garbiñe Mugaruza ESP 15
Julia Goerges GER 16
Madison Keys USA 17
Wang Qiang CHN 18
Caroline Garcia FRA 19
Anett Kontaveit EST 20
Elise Mertens
Jelena Ostapenko
Danielle Collins
Lesia Tsurenko
Donna Vekic
Carla Suarez Navarro
Camila Giorgi
Mihaela Buzarnescu
Dominika Cibulkova
Su-Wei Hsieh
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Dayana Yastremska
Venus Williams
Petra Martic
Sofia Kenin
Maria Sakkari
Johanna Konta
Zhang Shuai
Ajla Tomljanovic
Zheng Saisai
Yulia Putintseva
Katerina Siniakova
Belinda Bencic
Viktoria Kuzmova
Daria Gavrilova
Victoria Azarenka
Barbora Strycova
Alison Van Uytvanck
Anna-Lena Friedsam
Alize Cornet
Alison Riske
Kirsten Flipkens
Rebecca Paterson
Pauline Parmentier
Ons Jabeur
Aleksandra Krunic
Monica Puig
Amanda Anisimova
Vera Lapko
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
Wang Yafan
Tamara Zidansek
Kristina Mladenovic
Ekaterina Alexandrova
Ekaterina Makarova
Tatjana Maria
Andrea Petkovic
Magdalena Rybarikova
Bianca Andreescu
Johanna Larsson
Marketa Vondrousova
Samantha Stosur
Evgeniya Rodina
Irina-Camelia Begu
Margarita Gasparyan

MEN

Novak Djokovic SRB 1
Alexander Zverev GER 3
Kevin Anderson RSA 5
Roger Federer SUI 6
Kei Nishikori JPN 7
Dominic Thiem AUT 8
John Isner USA 9
Marin Cilic CRO 10
Karen Khachanov RUS 11
Stefanos Tsitsipas GRE 12
Borna Coric CRO 13
Milos Raonic CAN 14
Fabio Fognini ITA 15
Daniil Medvedev RUS 16
Lucas Pouille FRA 17
Roberto Bautista Agut ESP 18
Marco Cecchinato ITA 19
Diego Schwartzman ARG 20
David Goffin
Nikoloz Basilashvili
Pablo Carreno Busta
Grigor Dimitrov
Denis Shapovalov
Fernando Verdasco
Richard Gasquet
Alex de Minaur
Kyle Edmund
Frances Tiafoe
Gilles Simon
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Gael Monfils
Steve Johnson
Jeremy Chardy
John Millman
Andreas Seppi
Martin Klizan
Joao Sousa
Taylor Fritz
Nicolas Jarry
Dusan Lajovic
Malek Jaziri
Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Matthew Ebden
Adrian Mannarino
Marton Fucsovics
Sam Querrey
Leonardo Mayer
Jan-Lennard Struff
Damir Dzumhur
Matteo Berrettini
Robin Haase
Mikhail Kukushkin
Marius Copil
Stan Wawrinka
Benoit Paire
Guido Pella
Jordan Thompson
Peter Gojowczyk
Feliciano Lopez
Denis Kudla
Cameron Norrie
Aljaz Bedene
Nick Kyrgios
Mischa Zverev
Yoshihito Nishioka
Taro Daniel
Guido Andreozzi
Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Filip Krajinovic
Hubert Hurkacz
Roberto Carballes Baena
Tennys Sandgren
Maximilian Marterer
Federico Delbonis
Ivo Karlovic
Tomas Berdych