Kei Nishikori’s quest for a first-ever Grand Slam title is still very much alive after defeating Andrey Kuznetsov in the second round on Wednesday. The fifth seed will look to seal a place in the round of 16 when he takes on the ever-dangerous Fernando Verdasco at Roland Garros later today.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this third-round clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the round-of-32 match between Stan Wawrinka and Jeremy Chardy.
Kei Nishikori barged into the third round of the 2016 French Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Andrey Kuznetsov on Wednesday. It was an excellent performance by the Japanese superstar who needed just one hour and 48 minutes to oust the Russian.
Nishikori, who improved to 1-1 against Kuznetzov, blasted 31 winners and won 63 percent of his first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the match, however, was his stunning return. Nishikori converted six of his eight break point opportunities in the win against Kuznetzov.
Next up for Nishikori is a third-round clash with Fernando Verdasco. This will be the fourth meeting between Nishikori and Verdasco in the ATP Tour with the Spaniard leading their head-to-head matchup, 2-1. For Nishikori to gain the upper hand this time around, he will need to continue his highly-efficient play. Nishikori has committed an average of just 17.5 unforced errors in this tournament thus far.
Fernando Verdasco booked a place in the third round of the French Open with a resounding 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ivan Dodig on Wednesday. It was a flawless performance from Verdasco who needed just one hour and 40 minutes to eliminate the gutsy Croatian. Just like in his previous match, Verdasco’s serve was impressive once again. He converted 78 percent of his first serves against Dodig with Verdasco winning 40 of his 52 first serve points. Verdasco also blasted 36 winners in this match, stretching his tournament total to 75.
Verdasco has been impeccable in this event thus far as he has yet to drop a set in his opening two matches. He now has a 25-12 record here in Paris with the former world no. 7 reaching the fourth round five times. He will look to continue his excellent form when he takes on Kei Nishikori in the round of 32. Verdasco will fancy his chances against Nishikori as he has fared extremely well against the Japanese on clay. Verdasco is 1-0 against Nishikori on this surface.
Verdasco is 7-3 in his last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Verdasco (+450) upsets Nishikori in five tough sets.
