Schedule and Preview Miami Open 2025 Day Eight: Djokovic-Musetti and Sabalenka-Zheng among highlights

Onto Day Eight we go at the Miami Open as the Quarter-Finals are set to begin on the WTA side of the draw and they will be confirmed on the ATP side by the end of Tuesday 25 March with the schedule set.

Among the leading lights include Novak Djokovic and the two top seeds from either draw in Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev in their latest tests.

But it all begins with an entertaining affair between Gael Monfils and Sebastian Korda in the Last 16. Korda last saw off Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6, 6-3 and now jostles with the French entertainer who has been playing since the first round and continues to break records as the oldest player to win in certain tournaments.

He started off against Fabian Marozsan sealing a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win before he took down Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2). Jaume Munar who had previously vanquished Daniil Medvedev was up next and it was a 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 win for the Frenchman.

They have ironically only played once. Ironically as it was only just over a week ago. They faced off at Indian Wells which was won in the end by Monfils defeating Korda 7-6, 7-6. No doubt a similar closely fought tie will be expected again.

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Paolini faces spoiler Linette as Djokovic faces Musetti again

Then it is the first Quarter-Final in the WTA Draw as Jasmine Paolini faces not Coco Gauff but Magda Linette. The Pole acted as the spoiler that was predicted in yesterday's preview when she faced Gauff who has got away with some wins in recent months and hasn't been the same player.

Linette has long been a player who can crop up and take advantage and she did just that in her last game. While Paolini claimed what has been a much needed week of results. Last year was always going to be tough to top. She reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals, ascended to new career heights and won Dubai so in reality anything less would be a fall off.

She has not found results since that golden summer that easy to come by but will be pleased with an opportunity to be favourite ahead of a potential semi-final. She has seen off three tough operators albeit one by walkover in Ons Jabeur this week. Those being Rebecca Sramkova and Naomi Osaka with the latter needing a comeback win from a set down.

Linette leads the Head to Head and only just having defeated Paolini last season in Beijing. Paolini held the measure of the tie in the Olympic Games last year winning 6-4, 6-1.

Not Coco Gauff but Magda Linette in a good chance for Jasmine Paolini.

Onto the lead ties as Novak Djokovic again faces Lorenzo Musetti. It is a pretty incredible Head to Head in favour of the 24-time Grand Slam champion who leads 7-1 but it has never been that simple for him. Musetti often has huffed and puffed and troubled Djokovic but only got over the line once. The French Open previously is a great example of that when he went one set away then handed two sets in a row of only three games won to claim the win.

Djokovic has been at his most vulnerable as of late though so if the time to get him is now. But Musetti will hope to banish demons of the past. He last saw off Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets to claim a spot in the Last 16 after also having the same fate against Quentin Halys.

Sabalenka faces Zheng Qinwen with dominant Head to Head record

On paper the game of the day has to be Aryna Sabalenka facing off against Zheng Qinwen in the WTA Draw but a delve into the Head to Head paints a pretty clear picture.

Sabalenka should be favourite and a pretty comfortable one at that. She is 5-0 up in terms of their respective Head to Head and has often done it in big tournaments. The World No.1 brushed aside Danielle Collins last round 6-4, 6-4 perhaps benefitting from the fact that she only played one set against Elena-Gabriela Ruse last Saturday. She also saw off Viktoriya Tomova losing only three games.

Often after a crushing loss like at Indian Wells, Sabalenka bounces back straight away and she looks ominous to do just that this week. Albeit unlike previous times, it won't be defeating who defeated her as Mirra Andreeva is out. Zheng Qinwen on the otherhand has had a good week again showing the Pere Riba effect.

5-0 down in Head to Head can Zheng finally get a win.

The former coach of Coco Gauff and until they reunited her old coach, Zheng has had to have a stand-in coach for the last few months after Pere Riba underwent surgery and made a poor start to the season. When he returned ahead of the Sunshine Double, results started to pick up with back-to-back Quarter-Finals. A much needed run no matter how it ends here.

In that Head to Head, their last meeting was at the WTA Finals at the end of last year. Sabalenka won 6-3, 6-4 and she also claimed vital wins in the final of Wuhan and also the US Open Quarter-FInals. Overall it has been the big games where Sabalenka has dished out pretty comfortable wins. Tables could turn but for those predicting, it is likely Sabalenka will win this.

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Zverev, Fritz, Ruud elsewhere on Tuesday

Alexander Zverev completes the feat on Stadium as he is the last player in action facing off against Arthur FIls in an ATP Draw that has been utterly decimated in the last week. Only a few top seeds remain and ironically given his latest struggles, Zverev as well as Djokovic are the favourites.

Grandstand though holds the key for the men's draw as it begins with Grigor Dimitrov, the reigning finalist facing Brandon Nakashima. While Casper Ruud had a close shave against Miomir Kecmanovic earlier in the tournament and has rode that wave ever since, he faces Francisco Cerundolo.

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Taylor Fritz has spoke this week about being injured but he is still in the reckoning. He faces off against Adam Walton, a Lucky Loser. It is a double dose of Australians as Alex de MInaur follows.

De Minaur showed his experience and his quality as he dumped out Joao Fonseca to end the hype train. Next is another good run from Matteo Berrettini who faces off against him for a spot in the Quarter-Finals.

Then finally instead of Draper v Machac, we get Jakub Mensik v Tomas Machac in an all Czech battle. Who will say Czech mate at the end of the day on Tuesday?

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