Two of the top home favorites, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, will open their respective campaigns at the 2026 Miami Open with second-round fixtures against Arthur Cazaux and Alexander Shevchenko.
Frances Tiafoe vs. Arthur Cazaux: 2026 Miami Open Preview
Nineteenth-seeded Tiafoe will face Cazaux in the second round of the 2026 Miami Open. Being seeded, Tiafoe received a bye in the opening round, while Cazaux began his campaign with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Chilean qualifier Tomas Barrios Vera.
This will be the first meeting between the two players on the tour. Tiafoe started the season by reaching the third round of the Australian Open.
A quarterfinal finish at the Delray Beach Open helped him find some form, and he then had his best result of the season, reaching the Acapulco final, where he lost to Flavio Cobolli. He had a decent fourth-round run at Indian Wells, losing to Alexander Zverev.
Cazaux has played only four matches this season due to injury. The French player had to retire during his qualifying match against Pablo Carreno Busta in Brisbane. He was in action at the Challenger event in Phoenix but withdrew from his second-round match against Nikoloz Basilashvili.
The PFSN Tennis Simulator has made Tiafoe the favorite, assigning him a 61% win probability. This aligns with his returning hard-court form. Meanwhile, Cazaux has not played extensively, making it an expected win for the home favorite.
Pick: Tiafoe to win in straight sets
Ben Shelton vs. Alexander Shevchenko: 2026 Miami Open Preview
Eighth-seeded and one of the pre-tournament favorites, Shelton will begin his Miami Open campaign with a second-round clash against Shevchenko. Shelton got a bye in the first round, whereas Shevchenko began his campaign with a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-2 win over Matteo Arnaldi in the first round.
This is the first meeting between the two players on the tour. Shelton’s 2026 has started on a good note, with the American winning 11 of the 14 matches he has played. His best result was winning the Dallas Open, where he won against Taylor Fritz in the final.
He also reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. However, fitness is a concern for Shelton as he arrives in Miami; he struggled in his three-set loss to Learner Tien at Indian Wells.
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Including three Challenger events, Shevchenko has a 10-10 win-loss record for the 2026 season. His best run came in Adelaide, where he won four consecutive matches to reach the quarterfinals as a qualifier, only to lose to Ugo Humbert. He last played at Indian Wells, where he beat Sho Shimabukuro in the first round but lost to Casper Ruud in the second.
Shelton is the overwhelming favorite to win the upcoming match, with the PFSN Simulator giving the American an 87% win probability. This is no surprise given the gap in form and quality between the players, with Shelton motivated to make a deep hard-court run before the clay season.
Pick: Shelton to win in straight sets
