See below for our daily tennis tips and best bets around the courts for Thursday March 20 at the ATP and WTA Miami tournaments, including the top tips and players to back in our tennis betting markets!
Kei Nishikori vs Yoshihito Nishioka
4.15am
Back Nishikori to Cover the Games Handicap (-3.5) @ $2.10
Kei Nishikori and Yoshihito Nishioka come together for an all-Japanese showdown in the first round of the Miami Masters.
The pair’s only previous meeting was back at the 2019 Cincinnati Masters, with Nishioka claiming a straight-sets win.
The runner-up here in 2016, former world No.4 Nishikori lost to Ugo Humbert in the second round at Indian Wells before reaching the semis of a Challenger event in Phoenix last week, going down to Joao Fonesca.
The 34-year-old has struggled for momentum since a tremendous run to the Hong Kong Open final at the start of the year.
World No.68 Nishioka defeated Brandon Nakashima and Frances Tiafoe at the Dallas Open last month, but he suffered an injury during the Delray Beach Open and missed Indian Wells.
He’s traditionally struggled in Miami, going 6-7 overall.
Without any court time behind him in recent weeks, Nishioka is up against it in this clash with his countryman.
Roberto Bautista-Agut vs Jakub Mensik
10.15am
Back Over 22.5 Total Games @ $2.00
Spanish ironman Roberto Bautista-Agut takes on Czech teenager Jakub Mensik for the first time at the Miami Masters.
Former top-10 start Bautista-Agut, currently ranked 50th, is coming off a three-set loss in the first round at Indian Wells against Damir Dzumhur. The 36-year-old is 1-6 overall in 2025.
Mensik cracked the top 50 earlier this year with some handy results in Australia and New Zealand – including wins over Casper Ruud and Ben Shelton – but has struggled to back that up since.
The 19-year-old beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry first up at Indian Wells, though, while he took a set off Karen Khachanov in the second round.
He then reached the semis of a Cap Cana Challenger, again beating Etcheverry before losing to Dzumhur.
Mensik already boasts an ATP 1000 quarter-final appearance, at the Shanghai Masters last year.
Bautista-Agut reached the last of four ATP Masters semis in Miami in 2021.
He’s a $3.10 underdog here but this shapes as a lengthy slugfest with each of his last four matches (and five of Mensik’s last seven) producing game totals of 23-plus.
Naomi Osaka vs Liudmila Samsonova
10.15am
Back Samsonova to Win @ $1.91
Noami Osaka lines up against 24th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round of the Miami Masters.
The head-to-head is one-all after two clashes during Osaka’s 2024 comeback season.
Osaka won 7-5 6-3 at Indian Wells, before Samsonova turned the tables with a three-set victory at the Madrid Masters.
The runner-up in Miami in 2022, Osaka recovered from a slow start to beat Yulia Starodubtseva 3-6 6-4 6-3 in the first round.
The former world No.1 has had an injury-hampered start to the year, retiring during matches (after recording some strong wins) at the Auckland Open and the Australian Open.
Her only match in the interim was a loss to Camila Osorio at Indian Wells.
Samsonva had a first-round bye, following a solid run to the Indian Wells quarter-finals with wins over 12th seed Daria Kasatkina and sixth seed Jasmine Paolini before running into Aryna Sabalenka.
It was her best Sunshine Double result, but she was a WTA 1000 runner-up at the Canadian Masters and China Open in 2023.
Coming off a couple of top-15 wins, Samsonova is tremendous value as a slight outsider against Osaka, who remains a force but has been an unreliable prospect.
Sorana Cirstea vs Danielle Collins
12.15pm
Back Cirstea to Cover the Games Handicap (+2.5) @ $1.80
Veterans Sorana Cirstea and Danielle Collins square off in the second round in Miami, the second straight year they have met in this tournament.
Collins is 2-0 against Cirstea, chalking up wins at the 2018 Rome Masters and 6-3 6-2 the 2024 Miami Masters.
Collins is hanging onto her place in the top 15 but has produced little to write home about since reaching the Round of 16 at Wimbledon.
In her only matches since a third-round AO exit, she beat Hailey Baptiste in three sets before going down to Elina Svitolina at Indian Wells.
The 34-year-old Cirstea, ranked 101st, put away Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3 7-5 in the first round. At Indian Wells, she beat Aussie Maya Joint and took 10th seed Emma Navarro to a third-set tiebreak.
Cirstea’s recent scalps include Daria Kasatkina and Navarro in Dubai, and Diana Shnaider at the ATX Open.
She’s a huge chance of nabbing a fourth top-20 win in the space of five weeks.