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After the excitement of the Australian Open in January and the Indian Wells Open earlier in March, tennis fans will not have long to wait for their next dose of action with the 2023 Miami Open beginning on 19th March.
As with the tournaments above, this competition will be played on a hard court and, as with Indian Wells, all of the action will be outdoor. This surface attracts certain players and puts off others, notably those who prefer the clay and will already have an eye on the French Open which begins in mid-late May.
So let’s start to direct our gaze towards Miami and this tournament. But as with any competition in any sport, in order to get the most out of the action, it is imperative that you fully understand the format. So, in this article, we will go into detail on how many sets at the Miami Open, the format of the sets, how tie-breaks work and a closer look at the number of players in each round of the men’s singles, women’s singles, as well as the men’s and women’s doubles tournaments. There are some big dollars up for grabs for the winners of all the competitions, so let’s read on and ensure we are all fully prepped ahead of the 2023 Miami Open.
Miami Open 2023 Format – Your Complete Guide
Contents
According to the schedule, the women’s qualifying action will begin on 19th March with the men’s qualifiers beginning a day later. The first round proper will being on Tuesday March 21st with the first match due to begin at 11:00am Miami time / 15:00 GMT, according to the order of play which has been published by the tournament organisers.
How Many Sets
Although many tennis fans only come to life when the Grand Slams are on, those more familiar with the ATP and WTA tour will be unsurprised to hear that the games in Miami are played in a best of three fashion. So, unlike the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, where the best of five set matches can often seem like marathons, all competitors will need to win only two sets in each contest to advance to the next round. The format in terms of sets is the same across the men’s and women’s singles and doubles tournaments.
Format of Deciding Sets
Gone are the days when the deciding sets can just go on and on… who can forget the classic Mahut v Isner contest from the 2010 Wimbledon which ended 70-68? If the players can not be separated by the time the score is 6-6 in the third set, the game will go straight to a tie-break with the winning player needing to be two clear points ahead and with at least seven points on the board. So, you won’t need to dedicate hours upon hours for a final set but there will still be plenty of excitement.
Men’s Singles Bracket
So how does this tournament play out from round to round? 96 players enter the tournament with all 32 seeded players being given byes to the second round. From the time the seeds enter, the competition really comes to life with the quarter final, the last eight, taking place after the fourth round. As with a traditional tournament, it is a straight knockout with a top half and a bottom half of the draw. The top seeded player is at the top with the second seed at the bottom so that if they win all their games they can only meet in the final. Within each half there are four sections which means you can easily plot the route to the final for any player in the Men’s 2023 Miami Open.
Women’s Singles Bracket
Although the Women’s 2023 Miami Open gets underway a day earlier, the bracket is exactly the same with the seeds patiently waiting for the end of the qualifying rounds and the first round before they get on the court for a competitive fixture. Often some of the seeds will take part in some mixed doubles training or charity fixtures to get a feel for the conditions. As with the men’s bracket, if a wild-card, qualifier or a player with a protected ranking wants to go all the way, they will have to win seven rounds in a row from the first round onwards to lift the trophy. For the seeds entering in the second round, they have one game less to win en route to the title.
Doubles Bracket
32 pairs enter the men’s doubles and women’s doubles tournaments in Miami which means the route to the final is a lot quicker and only five victories are required to be declared champions. Hubert Hurkacz and John Isner beat Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in the final of the men’s last year with Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva getting the better of Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens in their final. As with all quality tournaments, expect to see some players going far in both the singles and the doubles tournaments in Miami. Hubert Hurkacz won the singles in 2021 before returning to take the doubles title in 2022, if only there were a mixed doubles trophy for him to lift to complete the set!
So that covers all of the important ‘must-know’ facts about the Miami Open format 2023. After reading this article you can go into the tournament at peak knowledge and ready to enjoy all of the action without any burning questions on your mind.
2023 Miami Open Schedule
So we’ll conclude withe the 2023 Miami Open schedule so you can plan exactly where and when you want to be during the entirety of the competition. For example, the qualifiers may not be your thing but watching some doubles could be. As ever, there is a ‘business-end’ to proceedings and that time certainly kicks in during Week 2 of the event. Whatever you are doing at the start of April, be sure to clear the first weekend so you can enjoy the women’s singles and Men’s Doubles Finals on the Saturday with the men’s singles and the women’s doubles the following day.
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