2014 has been a great year for Stanislaw Wawrinka. He captured his first-ever Grand Slam title when he outlasted Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open Final in January. And with a spot in the last eight of the U.S. Open already secured, the Swiss star is only three victories away from grabbing his second Grand Slam of the year. If only it was that easy.
Standing on his way is Japanese star Kei Nishikori who survived a tough five-setter against Milos Raonic in the fourth round to reach his first ever U.S. Open quarterfinal. Can he continue his fairytale run and reach his first ever Grand Slam semifinal? Or will Wawrinka’s experience be the difference in the match?
Read on for a preview of this showdown and while you’re at it you can read our other quarterfinal preview between longtime rivals Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
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Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Kei Nishikori, 2014 U.S. Open Men’s Singles Quarterfinal Preview
Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York
Stanislas Wawrinka survived a battle of attrition with Tommy Robredo in the fourth round of the U.S. Open to pull off a tough 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 victory to book his place into another Grand Slam quarterfinal, the third time he has done so this season.
[sc:Other240banner ]He had to call his trainer several times to treat him for cramping but the 29-year-old star managed to keep his composure and eke out a tough four-set victory in a match that lasted at least three hours. It has been a fantastic year for the world’s fourth-ranked player, who for the longest time lived in the shadow of compatriot and tennis great Roger Federer.
He will be confident heading into his match against Nishikori in the quarters as he holds a 2-0 edge against the Japanese native in their two career meetings. Their last matchup happened at the third round of the Cincinnati Masters back in August 2012 where Wawrinka emerged victorious in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Wawrinka will once again rely on his serve which has been his main weapon all throughout this tournament so far. He has blasted 43 aces in total through the first four rounds, including 18 in his last match against Robredo.
For Kei Nishikori, history has already been made. After surviving a marathon five-set match against Canadian Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, he guaranteed himself his first-ever U.S. Open quarterfinal appearance. With the form he is in though, there’s no reason the Japanese star can’t advance further in this tournament.
Nishikori proved his mettle in his match against Raonic as he battled back from two sets to one down to win 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (6/8), 7-5, 6-4 in a match that lasted four hours and 19 minutes. It also equaled the latest finishing time for a U.S. Open game with the match ending at 2:26 A.M.
Nishikori won a total of 181 points against Raonic as he managed to hit 53 winners the entire match. He has to limit his unforced errors, though, especially against Wawrinka, having recorded 41 in his last outing against Raonic.
Although he has a 0-2 record lifetime against Wawrinka, their last match happened two years ago and Nishikori’s game has improved a lot since then. This year alone, the 11th-ranked Nishikori has managed to beat five top-10 players which is the same number of top-10 players he beat in 2012 and 2013 combined.
Writer’s Prediction
Wawrinka is just playing solid tennis right now and will defeat a tired Nishikori in four sets.
