Rafael Nadal is en route to winning his maiden Miami Open title after defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber in the round of 32 clash. The competition has moved into the business end and Nadal will need to be strong, and play some good tennis as he prepares to face Nicolas Mahut in the round of 16 encounters on Tuesday.
Nadal has been much better this season, after a below par performance in 2016, reaching the finals of the year's first grand slam as well. He also lost in the Mexican Open final, but the Spaniard will hope to win the competition in Miami, where he has faltered four times in the past too.
The former world number one cruised past Dudi Sela in his first match, but he was troubled by Kohlschreiber in his last encounter. Nadal came from one set down to win the clash and set up a date with Mahut in the Miami Open.
Nadal will go into this match as an overwhelming favourite, but the Spaniard does not want to take it easy against Mahut, who has won three matches on a trot. The Frenchman, who was not even expected to reach the round of 32, has already exceeded expectations, and he has nothing to lose, which could get the best out of Mahut in Miami. Nadal has to keep an eye on Mahut's big-serves.
"He's a very dangerous opponent. His serve is huge and he's able to play so aggressive, hitting the ball very, very early and going to the net very often. So he's a player that I need to be quick and trying to be very solid with my serve, because I know that probably I don't going to have a lot of options on the return," tennisworldusa.org quoted Nadal as saying.
Mahut is primarily known for his doubles skills but take nothing away from the man, who has all the energy, stamina and skills to beat Nadal. Mahut has not been able to perform consistently in singles this season so far, with 7-6 win-loss record. Mahut, for sure, will give his all against Nadal, who is desperate to be victorious in Miami.
Where to watch live
Rafael Nadal vs Nicolas Mahut Miami Open clash is tentatively scheduled for 2:30 pm local time, 6:30 pm GMT, 12 am IST. Here are the live streaming and TV options.
India: TV - Sony ESPN HD.
UK: TV:Sky Sports 1/HD: Live Streaming: Sky Go
US: TV: Tennis Channel: Live Streaming: Tennis Channel Live
International live streaming: Miami Open Live
Live score: Miami Open live score
