By Tucker Verdi
Roger Federer – 20-time Grand Slam winner and reigning Miami Open champion – has locked in the No. 1 seed at the 2018 Miami Open.
Below him is 2014 US Open champ Marin Cilic in the No. 2 spot. Cilic will be looking to fight his way back to a third ATP final against the World No. 1 player after falling short the first two times at Wimbledon last year and in Melbourne in January.
Young stars Grigor Dmitrov and Alexander Zverev come in as the No. 3 and 4 seeds. Juan Martín del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, is the No. 5 seed while Kevin Anderson and David Goffin are the No. 6 and 7 seeds. Jack Sock is the highest ranked American in the draw at No. 8.
Former World No. 1 and 12-time Grand Slam champ Novak Djokovic is the No. 9 seed, meaning a fourth round battle with del Potro could await him. Tomas Berdych rounds out the top 10 and could face familiar foe Federer in the quarters.
Seeded players are given a bye into the second round, but the first round will have plenty of action with many intriguing matchups featuring NextGen players, including an American star on the rise.
Twenty year-old Frances Tiafoe will take on Argentinian Nicolás Kicker in the first round less than a month after claiming his first ATP title at Delray Beach.
You can find the entire draw at miamiopen.com/draws-and-order-of-play.
About the Miami Open presented by Itaú
The 2018 Miami Open will be played March 19-April 1 at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of its exotic Miami location, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and its celebrity appeal. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.
About Itaú
Itau is the largest Latin America privately owned bank, with approximately 94,000 employees and operations in 19 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Itaú’s relationship with sport goes back to the 1970s, when Itaú first sponsored the Itaú Tennis Cup in Brazil in 1970. Itaú has been a sponsor of the Miami Open for the last six years, and also sponsors the Rio Open, the only combined ATP/WTA event in South America. Itaú also supports the Brazilian Women’s Tennis Circuit, only female professional tournament in South America, certified by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the Tennis Institute Training Center, responsible for the development of young, new talent.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media, operating in more than 30 countries. The company represents and manages some of the world’s greatest sports figures and fashion icons; stages hundreds of live events and branded entertainment experiences annually; and is one of the largest independent producers and distributors of sports media. IMG also specializes in sports training; league development; and marketing, media and licensing for brands, sports organizations and collegiate institutions.
