Miami, March 18 (IANS) The Miami Open got off to a damp start with the match start times for Wednesday’s first-round action being pushed back due to rain.

Grigor Dimitrov, the former No. 3 player in the ATP Rankings, is among those set to compete at the ATP Masters 1000 event on Wednesday, when he faces Raphael Collignon. Their match is scheduled for the second on the Grandstand.

Start times for matches on Grandstand, Buch Buchholz, and Court 1 have all been pushed back to not before 1 p.m. EDT.

The prestigious event is quite important as both World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and second seed Jannik Sinner of Italy are in the fray, as both of them continue their battle for the top spot. It may turn out to be a crucial stop in their battle for the top ranking as both players can gain a lot of points in this event.

Alcaraz currently leads Sinner by around 2000 points in the ATP Rankings, but the Italian has closed the gap by winning the title at the BNP Paribas Open. By lifting his sixth ATP Masters 1000 trophy, Sinner earned 1,000 points and reduced Alcaraz’s advantage pre-Indian Wells lead from 2,800 to 2,150 points.

The focus now turns to the Miami Open, where Sinner has an opportunity to build further momentum. The Italian did not compete in Florida in 2025, meaning he has no points to defend this fortnight, and every match that he wins in Miami will therefore add directly to his ranking total.

Alcaraz, too, has minimal points at stake after a shock opening-round defeat to David Goffin last year left him with just 10 points to defend this fortnight. The World No. 1 will be motivated to respond after Daniil Medvedev ended his perfect 16-0 start to the 2026 season in the Indian Wells semi-finals.

Miami also holds added significance for Alcaraz, who became the youngest champion in tournament history at the event in 2022, aged 18. It represents Alcaraz’s best chance to extend his lead before the Tour shifts to clay, where the 22-year-old faces a heavy defensive stretch.

Top seed Alcaraz leads the field in the top half of the draw and is set to begin his event on Friday evening against Joao Fonseca or Fabian Marozsan, who are scheduled to play on Thursday. Alcaraz has never faced 19-year-old Brazilian Fonseca, who lost to Jannik Sinner in the fourth round in Indian Wells.

Second seed Sinner will start his event on Saturday against Damir Dzumhur or qualifier Ignacio Buse. The 24-year-old owns a 19-3 record in Miami, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and has reached the final in three of his four appearances, lifting the trophy in 2024, said a report on the ATP Tour website.

Sinner made history last week in Indian Wells, where he became just the third — and youngest — man to complete the set of winning all six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court events, joining Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Miami is a key stop for them as Alcaraz has 4,300 points to defend across the clay swing, including titles in Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Roland Garros, as well as a runner-up finish in Barcelona. Sinner, by contrast, has no points to defend until Rome, and then 1,850 points across the Italian Masters 1000 event and Roland Garros, giving him a window to chip away at the top spot in the coming weeks.

Even so, the Italian will aim to apply immediate pressure in Miami, where he has reached the final in three of his four appearances and lifted the trophy in 2024.

Alcaraz and Sinner are seeded first and second, respectively, in Miami and can only meet in the final. If that matchup materialises, it would mark the 17th chapter of their rivalry on the ATP tour.

If Alcaraz maintains or even extends his advantage during Miami, he would give himself valuable breathing room before entering the most defence-heavy portion of his calendar. Such a scenario would further strengthen his grip on the top spot while allowing him to begin building a lead in total weeks at No. 1. The Spaniard is set to match Sinner’s 66-week milestone in early April, regardless of what happens in Florida.

Sinner, on the other hand, will be hoping to do his best to continue to chip away at Alcarazz’s lead so that he can make a further dent in that at Wimbledon and the hard-court season post the grass-court major.

–IANS

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