America has a good crop of youngsters coming up through the ranks, and today one of the gets center stage as 19-year-old Frances Tiafoe takes on Roger Federer in the second round at Miami.

Tiafoe had to qualify just to get into the event, and he made the most of it collecting his second career Masters match win beating another qualifier, Konstantin Kravchuk, in the first round. But now the Maryland …

Despite Roger Federer’s fantastic start of 2017 winning the Australian Open and Indian Wells, Rafael Nadal still says that Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are the top players.

Both Djokovic and Murray have combined to reach just one final, and that was when they played each other in Doha at the start of the year. Since then, it’s been upset after upset. But Nadal points out, it’s still very early in …

It was a bloodbath on Friday at the Miami Open as two Top 10 seeds out of a total of 10 overall seeds made exits.

Safely into the third round were Top 10 seeds No. 2 Kei Nishikori who stunted the big serving of Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-3; No. 3 Milos Raonic who defeated veteran Serb Viktor Troicki 6-3, 7-5; and No. 5 Rafa Nadal who eased past Israel’s Dudi Sela …

All five Top 10 seeds in action won their openers on Friday at the Miami Open while a bulky eight lower seeds made exits in second-round play.

Top 10-seeded winners were No. 3 Simona Halep fighting past Japan’s Naomi Osaka 6-4, 2-6, 6-3; No. 6 Garbine Muguruza coming from a set down to defeat unseeded American Christina McHale 0-6, 7-6(6), 6-4; No. 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova rolling Mandy Minella 6-2, 6-2; No. …

Second seed Karolina Pliskova continued her form in her Miami opener Thursday crushing Madison Brengle 6-1, 6-3.

“The last few matches it’s not really about my serve because the percentage is a little low, but I’m happy that I have my game from the baseline,” said Pliskova who lost first round here last year. “I was feeling the ball pretty well today.

“It was a tough one today against an …

Rafael Nadal begins his bid to win a first Miami Open title Friday in a second round match against Dudi Sela of Israel.

“Winning Miami is not an obsession. I would love to add Miami to my CV. The opportunities are not eternal, although I hope to have more in the future,” Nadal said earlier in the week. “I had four chances and in two of them I was very close. …

A former world No. 1 junior was a winner and an Olympic gold medalist a loser on Wednesday, the final day before the seeds take to the court on Thursday at the Miami Open.

American and former world No. 1 junior Taylor Townsend, the focus of weight issues between coaches and the USTA in past years, appeared not exactly svelte, but her fittest in past years in fending off 15-year-old fellow …

It was a banner day for young (and not so “Young”) unseeded Americans on Wednesday at the Miami Open as four moved into the second round in Key Biscayne, Fla.

Taylor Fritz beat Czech Adam Pavlasek 6-2, 6-3; Jared Donaldson served down Brit Kyle Edmund 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-2; Ernesto Escobedo defeated Brit Daniel Evans 7-5, 0-6, 6-3; and veteran Donald Young outlasted Germany’s Dustin “Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em” Brown …

One of thew few titles not on Rafael Nadal’s incredible resume is the Miami Open, which begins today. Nadal has finished runner-up four times leaving Miami along with the Paris Indoors the only Masters events Rafa hasn’t won.

“Winning Miami is not an obsession. I would love to add Miami to my CV. The opportunities are not eternal, although I hope to have more in the future,” said Nadal. “I had …

What’s the prediction on the women’s side at Miami?

Pain.

At least for you tennis fans.

The pain of no Serena Williams. She gave up the No. 1 ranking last week to Angie Kerber when she pulled out of both Indian Wells and Miami. The pain of Angie Kerber being No. 1. She has won no titles in six events this year. She hasn’t even reached a final.

The pain of no one being …

What a week for Roger Federer, winning his fifth Indian Wells title slapping around good pal Stan Wawrinka in a 6-4, 7-5 victory Sunday.

And now Federer and the tour shifts to the other coast. Miami offers a change in court conditions, change in climate but will it change the outcome? Can Federer, who has already won the two biggest events of the season thus far, do it again?

His …

Craig McDean (GQ)
Good timing from GQ. A day after Roger Federer made headlines winning a fifth Indian Wells title, GQ released a video and pictures from a recent cover shoot they did with the Swiss.

The shoot took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland and it features Federer in the snow. Does anyone else get a “James Bond” …

After adding 1,000 points from a fifth Indian Wells title yesterday, Roger Federer increased his 2017 ATP Race lead to 1,410 points over Rafael Nadal. So Federer will be the top 2017 player heading into the clay season regardless of what happens in Miami.

Federer 3,045 is actually more points than his rivals Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have won this year (2,950).

Murray, who lost second round at Indian …

In a hilarious moment yesterday during the Indian Wells trophy ceremony, Stan Wawrinka called Roger Federer an “asshole” for laughing at him just as he was to start his runner-up speech.

It was good in nature though Wawrinka has good reason to believe that since Federer denied Stan a first Indian Wells title. Federer won the match 64, 75 and upped his record against Wawrinka to 20-3 and 14-0 on hardcourts. …

World No. 1 Andy Murray? Former No. 1 Novak Djokovic? The heralded “Next Gen?”

Nah.

Thirty-five-year old Roger Federer is the toast of the town in Indian Wells.

The Australian Open champ followed up by winning the first ATP Masters 1000 title of the year on Sunday at Indian Wells, defeating Swiss countryman Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5 for a record-tying fifth BNP Paribas Open title.

“It’s been just a fairy tale week once again,” …