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The Miami Open begins next week as part of back-to-back Masters 1000/Premier Mandatory events following on the back of Indian Wells. The agency IMG owns the tournament which sees the wildcards offered take a different shape to most with few local players recipients. Many of the top young players in the game represented by the company will therefore take part in the event.

Ryan Harrison is the biggest name to get one for the main draw. It will be the fifth occasion in six years that Harrison has received a wildcard despite winning just two matches at the event in that time frame. 20 year-old Brit Kyle Edmund has begun to make an impression on the Challenger Tour at least, winning a title in Hong Kong while most recently making the quarter finals in a strong Irving draw.

At 18, Korea’s Hyeon Chung will make his debut in the main draw. Chung has taken advantage of Challenger events in Asia and Australia to move into the top 130. In February, he made consecutive finals in Burnie and Launceston winning the former before losing in three sets in Launceston to Bjorn Fratangelo.

Junior World No.1 and French Open champion Andrey Rublev rounds off the list. After picking up a number of titles at Futures level, the Russian was a quarter finalist in his first Challenger tournament while also picking up the Doubles title. A win over Dudi Sela in Delray Beach was his first at ATP level but Steve Johnson was a step too far in the following round.

Two of the qualifying wildcards go to junior slam winners in Gianluigi Quinzi (Wimbledon 2013) and Omar Jasika (2014 US Open). Elias Ymer qualified for his first grand slam this year beating the aforementioned Chung while Taro Daniel looks to qualify for his fifth ATP event. He made the quarter finals of Vina Del Mar in 2014 but was a first round loser in the other three attempts. Michael Mmoh is a top 10 junior with wins over Rublev and Jasika last year while also picking up a Futures title in Brownsville, Texas.

The Women’s draw is headed by two notable names in Sorana Cirstea and Nicole Vaidisova. Cirstea has plummeted down the rankings to outside the top 140 from a career high of 21 just over 18 months ago. A two times slam semi finalist in his first career, Vaidisova announced a comeback late last year. She is yet to make much of an impact, her best performance being a semi final of a $100,000 ITF event. Her first WTA level match back was a straight sets loss to Ana Ivanovic as a qualifier in Monterrey.

CiCi Bellis made a name for herself at last year’s US Open with a shock three set win over no.13 Dominika Cibulkova at the age of just 15. Three $25,000 Futures titles show she has had no trouble with moving on up to the next level. She also held the junior no.1 spot but didn’t win a slam in 2014, losing her last attempt at the US Open to Natalia Vikhlyantseva, who is also a main draw wildcard here. The Russian is now inside the top 400 but her best tournament at pro level is only a semi final in a $25k event.

17 year-old Paula Badosa Gibert was a two times quarter finalist in Junior slams last year, contributing to her career high no.8 at that level. The Spaniard’s first attempt at WTA level was a failure to qualify to Antwerp, being defeated by Kateryna Bondarenko. Indy De Vroome had slightly more success in Belgium, qualifying and picking up a shock win over Tsvetana Pironkova in the process. She also troubled Dominika Cibulkova but could not maintain her level throughout in the three set loss.

Canada’s Francoise Abanda is a one time $25k title winner who is currently winless on the WTA Tour. She has competed well against the likes of Sabine Lisicki and Venus Williams while also taking a set from Cibulkova at the Canadian Open.

Laura Robson was supposed to head a list of those with qualifying wildcards but she has chosen to exercise further caution with regards to her comeback. Ranked outside the top 800 in May 2014, Oceane Dodin has risen up the rankings rapidly and showcased her ability with a win in her first Australian Open against Alison Riske while taking a set of Karolina Pliskova in Round 2 looks more impressive by the day.

At 24, Arantxa Rus looks an odd choice given her record in recent time. She is 7-6 at ITF level, with just one match coming at above $25k level. However, two wins in Fed Cup action over Magdalena Rybarikova and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova are impressive. Sachia Vickery has won two $25k events in the US this year while going 3-5 at tour level in the past year, with a 1-1 record in 2015.

Ipek Soylu of Turkey is a Junior Doubles slam champion while also winning seven times at ITF level, taking advantage of the year round events in Turkey and Egypt to rack up titles, although they are all $10,000 level. Hungarian Fanni Stollar was a top 20 junior who has been making her first steps into pro events this year. She was a finalist in Orlando $10k this week but was defeated by an even younger opponent in 14 year-old Claire Liu.

The top two players on the ATP World Tour, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet in the final of the final of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event on Sunday. This marks the 38th time that the two will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Federer vs Djokovic Head to Head standing at 20-17. He has also won their most recent meeting in Dubai several weeks ago.

Follow the final Live Here: Federer vs Djokovic Indian Wells Live Stream

Earlier in the day, top seed Novak Djokovic breezed past Andy Murray in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3 to secure his spot in the final. He has now won his last six consecutive matches against Murray. Djokovic won 70% of his second serve points, saved two break points and converted four of his own to close out the match in one hour and 28 minutes.

“Even though it’s a straight-set victory, I still had to earn it,” said Djokovic. “I thought that he didn’t play close to his highest level. He made a lot of unforced errors, especially from the forehand side. Low percentage of first serves in. That allowed me to obviously step in and be aggressive.”

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The second of the two semi-finals was a far more competitive affair, as Federer and Raonic went toe-to-toe until Federer found his opening late in the first set. The second set was a more confident one from Federer and he took advantage of an early break to secure the victory, 7-5, 6-4.

“I’m very happy [with] how well I’m playing,” said Federer. “[I] feel good physically. I feel refreshed after the holiday. I’m serving well, which is always crucial.”

The latest chapter in the remarkable rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be written on Sunday afternoon at Indian Wells, as the two top competitors will cross paths once again in the final of the tournament. Federer won their most recent encounter several weeks ago in Dubai but this is a surface that has done wonders for Djokovic and he will look to avenge that loss and even the score in their 2015 series.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Three Sets

In an unexpected turn of events, the final of the 2015 Indian Wells event will not feature Serena Williams, as she was forced to withdraw from the event, thus allowing Simona Halep to advance to the championship match against Jelena Jankovic. This marks the fifth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Halep leading the head to head series 3-1.

You can watch the match Live Here: Halep vs Jankovic Live Stream

It was a surprising twist when Serena walked out on court ahead of her semi-final match to announce her withdrawal from the tournament with a knee injury. Scheduled to play Halep, she opted to err on the side of caution and not take part in the match. Halep was disappointed not to play the No. 1 but is excited about the new challenge of facing Jankovic once again.

“She’s a tough player, tough opponent,” Halep said about Jankovic. “I’ve played many matches against her and every one was really difficult. I know I’ll have to run a lot, hit the balls strong and be aggressive. I will have to stay focused for every ball, too, because she’s going to be fighting until the end.”

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In an unlikely comeback that was one of her best in recent memory, as Jelena Jankovic rallied from a set down and twice overcame a break in the second set to defeat Sabine Lisicki in three sets and reach her first final in over a year.

“I just fought hard, stayed in the zone and took it one point at a time,” the former No.1 said. “Sabine has such a great serve. I had to be ready because anything can happen – she can come up with a really huge serve, then sometimes she takes off the pace, so I had to be ready for anything.”

This is set to be the fifth time that Halep and Jankovic cross paths on the WTA tour, with Halep leading the series 3-1. The Romanian lost their first meeting at the 2010 US Open and has since gone 3-0 against the Serb. Although it has been a tough week for Halep, she will likely conclude it with a new title on her mantle.

Prediction: Simona Halep in Three Sets

Check out all the live results Here; Live Tennis Scores and Results

While many were hoping that Rafael Nadal would reach the semi-final and set up classic match-up against his long-time rival, we will instead be offered an intriguing meeting between Roger Federer and Milos Raonic to determine who will advance to the tournament final. This marks the tenth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Federer leading the head to head series 8-1.

You can watch the match Live Here: Federer vs Raonic Live Stream

In one of his best performances of the season, Roger Federer produced a dominant display of inspired tennis to thrash Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-0 in the quarter-final stage of the tournament. While the first set was a competitive one, Federer pounded on every opportunity in the second set, while Berdych faltered and added to his growing unforced errors count. In the second set alone, Federer struck 21 winners and won 88% of his first service points to close out the match in 68 minutes.

“I think I really played well off the baseline,” said Federer. “Because I was serving well and moving well, so maybe there is not going to be that many chances for him on the return as it is. But at least he could have stayed with me longer, and as the match goes on maybe he would have also found his groove better.

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Federer will come up against the No. 1 Canadian, who earned an inspired victory over world No. 3 Rafael Nadal to advance to his semi-final showdown. After dropping the opening set, Raonic went toe-to-toe with Nadal in the second set and beat him 12-10 in the tiebreak to force a decider. There, he broke in the decisive eleventh game to secure the win.

“At the moments when I was playing those match points, it didn’t really feel like match points,” said Raonic. “It was just like another point that I was trying to get through… [I was] just sort of going through the paces at that moment of what do I need to do now, not really signifying it as a match point.”

While Federer leads the overall head-to-head series 9-1, Raonic will be riding an immense wave of confidence after toppling world No. 3 Rafael Nadal. It will be interesting to see if he can summon the evergy to complete another potential three-setter and set up a final against another member of the Big Four. Therefore, given Federer’s energy conservation over the past few days, he will likely have the advantage against the Canadian on Saturday.

Prediction: Roger Federer in Three Sets

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Following their rollercoaster clash in the Australian Open final two months ago, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will meet his longtime friend and professional adversary Andy Murray for the 25th time on the professional tour. While the head-to-head series used to be a close affair, Djokovic jumped to a 16-8 head to head lead by winning their last five consecutive meetings – four in 2014 and one to secure yet another Aussie Open title last January.

Follow the SF match Live Here: Djokovic vs Murray Live Streaming

The world No. 1 and top seed at the 2015 edition of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event did not need to play a single point on Thursday evening, as he received a walkover into the semi-final when his opponent, Bernard Tomic, withdrew from the event with a back issue.

Not only did Murray cruise into the semi-final round at Indian Wells, he did so in memorable fashion by snagging himself a slice of British History. According to the ATP World Tour, Murray’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over the Spaniard means he overtook Tim Henman’s British Open Era match win record of 496 victories.

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“I thought I played a good match,” Murray said. “Every time he came to net, I made it very difficult for him. I passed very well, and that was important because it meant that he spent more time at the back of the court. When we were in the baseline rallies, I felt like I was able to dictate a lot of those points. Passing shots were important today.”

While Murray has not defeated Djokovic since he lifted the historic Wimbledon title back in 2013, he remains a competitive hopeful against the Serbian star. Given that Murray spent the vast majority of 2014 recovering from his back surgery, he is yet to find his peak form; once he does, we may consider him once again a viable threat to the reigning kingpin on the ATP World Tour.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Three Sets

See more predictions Here: Tennis Match Previews and Predictions

An intriguing quarter-final will be featured on Friday afternoon in the American desert, as world No. 3 Rafael Nadal meets Milos Raonic for a sixth time on the ATP World Tour. Nadal leads the head-to-head 5-0 and will be looking to add another victory en route to the final four at Indian Wells.

You can watch the match Live Here: Nadal vs Raonic Live Streaming

Seeded third at the first Masters 1000 event of the season, Nadal earned a comfortable straight sets victory over France’s Gilles Simon to advance to the quarter-final round of the tournament. Nadal’s only hiccup in the match came when he attempted to serve out the contest up 5-2; he allowed Simon to win the next two games before he secured the win.

“Today I think I played a solid match against a tough opponent like Simon that is not easy to play tactically,” Nadal said. “Tactically I think I played a very positive match. In general, I played solid. Only two bad games with my serve, I played bad.”

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The Spaniard will now come up against Raonic, who needed a little over an hour to beat another Spaniard in Tommy Robredo to breeze into the final eight. He won the match 6-3, 6-2.

“He’s an opponent that you don’t want to play against because you play under a lot of pressure, every point,” Nadal said of his next opponent. “What happened today with my serve twice cannot happen the next day if I want to have any chance… So it will be a very tough match. I know I need to be at my 100 per cent to have any chance.”

This marks the sixth time that Nadal and Raonic will meet on the professional tour, with Nadal holding an impenetrable 5-0 record against the Canadian. The last two times they met was in the Miam Masters quarter-final last year and in the final of the Rogers Cup in 2013, the most recent of which being the first time that Nadal dropped a set against the Canadian. While this may be another three-set encounter, the Spaniard should advance to the semi-final in the end.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Three Sets

See other Tennis Predictions Here.

An enthralling semi-final clash is set to take place in the semi-final round of the Indian Wells event on Friday, as world No. 1 Serena Williams and world No. 3 Simona Halep cross paths once again to determine who will advance to the final. Williams leads the head-to-head series 4-1.

You can watch the SF match Live Here: Williams vs Halep Live Streaming

The tournament’s top seed snapped Timea Bacsinszky’s remarkable 15-match win streak on Wednesday evening when she defeated her 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the semi-final round at Indian Wells. Williams was down 1-3 early in the match but rebounded brilliantly to close out the contest with 23 winners.

“She was on a winning streak, so I was like, ‘I hope I win tonight, because she hasn’t lost in a really long time!’” Williams said on court. “But she has a great future. She’s already making a future now.”

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In one of her most impressive showings of determination this season, the world No. 3 rallied from a set down to claw her way to victory against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro. After dropping the 51-minute opening set, Halep rebounded to lose just two games in the following two set and closed out the match 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

“She was opening the court pretty well with the angles, and it’s really tough to play and hit the balls from wide in the court, so I knew I had to start playing more aggressively and hit more into the court,” Halep explained in her on-court interview after the match. “I just tried to relax my body and my mind, fight for every point and play my best. And I’m happy to be in the semifinals here again.

“I’m looking forward to maybe playing the No.1 in the world again now!”

This marks the sixth time that Williams and Halep will meet on the professional tour, and the first time this season. It is safe to say that Williams will be on high alert against Halep, as she will likely remember the devastating loss in the round robin stage of the WTA finals. Given that the American has looked better so far this week, the edge should go to Serena ahead of the Friday encounter.

Prediction: Serena Williams in Three Sets

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