Schedule and Preview Miami Open 2025 Day Four: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Mirra Andreeva and Iga Swiatek take centre stage

The schedule is confirmed for Friday March 21 with many of the top names starting their campaigns at the 2025 Miami Open including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek. Our preview helps to run through the top talking points from Florida.

Thus far it has been shocks on both scales especially in the WTA department. Coco Gauff pummelled Sofia Kenin yesterday and Elena Rybakina was dumped out by Ashlyn Krueger confirming her woes.

But in addition Danielle Collins also into the night won her first game of the tournament to open her title defence but what does Friday have in store. It is time to find out with stories left right and centre.

It is again a meeting between Iga Swiatek and Caroline Garcia which starts proceedings off in Florida. It is the second consecutive tournament that they have played and no doubt Garcia will be sick of the sight of the former World No.1.

Especially given a few factors, markably her 6-1 Head to Head record and also the fact that she won 6-2, 6-0 last week at Indian Wells. Can the faster playing courts provide any difference in the scoreline and cause issues for Swiatek.

Garcia has only won once against Swiatek and it seems like she has been taking it out on her ever since. This being the 2022 Warsaw Quarter-Final back towards when Garcia was at the peak of her powers. She has flirted since with the idea of retirement as of late after not being able to get back to that level.

But is aiming for enjoyment first. Getting a few games off Swiatek she will hope can help that. Albeit despite the deficit, it is only really last week where it has not been at all close between the pair. It usually goes to three sets and Garcia can cause Swiatek problems but will it be a poor end to the Sunshine Double for Swiatek?

Following Swiatek is a certain Daniil Medvedev who had a success of Indian Wells when doubts were creeping in about his form and future. He now faces Jaume Munar in his second round game before Rinky Hijikata faces Novak Djokovic.

Hijikata lost recently to Djokovic being defeated in the first tournament of the new season by the 24-time Grand Slam champion. He lost 6-3, 6-3 on New Year's Eve quite comfortably. But with Djokovic's recent form not being the best and not playing Miami in recent years, how can the six-time champion dispel doubts.

Madison Keys then follows up. Her week last week was a weird one as she played well and then got thrashed by Aryna Sabalenka which kind of dampened her post Australian Open momentum. The American hadn't played since that golden week so will aim to gain the freshness that others don't have ahead of a packed clay court season.

Speaking of Indian Wells on the opposite end, Mirra Andreeva also returns aiming to make it three WTA 1000 wins in a row. She won in Dubai and in Tennis Paradise and is the new name on the lips of tennis fans worldwide. But how can she cope with the highest ranking of her career and also the expectation.

She seems to be coping pretty well so far but an early loss might temper that. She faces Veronika Kudermetova who was a top 10 player on her day but is now more of a faded light. Still with the tools though so will be dangerous.

Emma Raducanu will face a tough examination no doubt in her first second round for a while pencilled in around prime time in the UK of 4:10pm. The Brit has been switching coaches and going through that merry go round again but now faces a top 10 player in Emma Navarro.

Navarro who feels at home in the conditions of Miami and will head also with the Charleston Open in her sights, her home tournament so it is an important few weeks for her personally. But being on home soil, she will hope to bring in the form that saw her win Merida Open Akron just weeks ago.

While Raducanu will hope to break through once more amid the coaching noise surrounding her and banish the demons that are there from the recent Dubai stalking ordeal.

She is prior to Jessica Pegula on Grandstand who takes on Bernarda Pera with Mirra Andreeva following in a stacked WTA run. Casper Ruud flanks this line-up starting off against Miomir Kecmanovic.

Night session wise in the US, it is Carlos Alcaraz on Stadium. He opens his account against David Goffin having lost crushingly at times to Jack Draper last week, the new kid on the ATP block. He faces a veteran in David Goffin who he holds a 2-1 record against Head to Head wise. Albeit he hasn't played him since the Hopman Cup two years ago so in reality, it isn't a fair reflection.

He will be expected to win though. Tommy Paul also catches the Night Session eye against Alexander Bublik. Grigor Dimitrov opens up against 17-year-old Italian prodigy Federico Cina. While Nick Kyrgios aims for a good wrist day when he faces Karen Khachanov.

Other highlights include Stefanos Tsitsipas, a quality tie between Karolina Muchova and Victoria Azarenka, Amanda Anisimova returning to Miami as well as an all mothers clash between Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic.

Watch out too for 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko who faces Paula Badosa with the latter not playing last week and the former being on a 28-1 run with five ITF tour titles. She saw off Camila Osorio in Round One so has the impetus.

Also on shock watch will be Moyuka Uchijima facing Anna Kalinskaya who has plummeted towards going out of the seeded spots and needs a spark fast withdrawing from tournaments with illness and not being able to find her 2024 excellence yet.