Kei Nishikori of Japan will play Diego Schwartzman of Argentina in a Group D singles match at 2021 ATP Cup on Friday, February 5, and is likely to begin at around 7pm local time. Get the live streaming options of this Kei Nishikori v Diego Schwartzman match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Kei Nishikori v Diego Schwartzman Head to Head
Nishikori and Schwartzman have played each other four times before this. The Japanese No.1 has won three of those meetings, with Schwartzman lone victory coming on the clay of Rome in 2019.
Their only hard court meeting was also won by Nishikori at the 2018 US Open.
Also Read:
Nishikori Beaten Easily By Medvedev
It was always going to be a monumental challenge for Japan to work their way out of a group containing the heavyweights of Russia. And so the conclusion came and there were no surprises.
Even with their No.1 ranked player Kei Nishikori, they barely threatened. Japan’s bid to qualify out of the group stage hit a brick a wall for the second successive year after both Kei Nishikori and Yoshihito Nishioka lost their singles rubbers.
Nishikori, in particular, never looked comfortable throughout the afternoon as he was beaten easily by Daniil Medvedev of Russia. His serve was pregnable (broken four times), and his movement which is his best asset was put to the test after playing very little tennis during the course of the 2020 season.
The former US Open finalist won a meagre 11 points out of a possible 44 behind the return. And saw Medvedev slam 19 winners, including nine aces. But despite the loss, Nishikori and Team Japan will have to fight for pride when they take on Argentina in a dud tie on Thursday.
Since the start of last season, Nishikori has played just seven matches after an elbow surgery forced him to miss a huge chunk of last season.
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Schwartzman Fails To Work His Magic
Diego Schwartzman saved his best tennis for the ATP Cup, but found Daniil Medvedev and Russia far too strong on the opening day of the tournament.
Schwartzman seized the moment at last year’s tournament when he beat Borna Coric to steer Argentina to the quarterfinals. That was his sole victory at the ATP Cup, and he might add another win this year, but not adequate for qualification.
Having traded blows early on against Medvedev, Schwartzman cracked deep in the first set when he produced three successive errors. Medvedev sealed the first set with a backhand down the line winner.
Schwartzman could not find the spots with his second serve, as Medvedev used his height advantage to put pressure. The Argentine won 30% of second serve points and eventually lost 7-5 6-3. Still, even in defeat, Schwartzman will be looking to finetune his game ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.
The 28-year-old arrived in Melbourne on the back of a career-best season in 2020, where he peaked at world no.8 and qualified for the season-ending ATP Final in London.
Schwartzman v Nishikori Prediction and Tip
There is a lot of rust in Nishikori’s game right now. He has played very little tennis since the start of last season. And he was also unfortunate to be among the players placed in hard quarantine. If you factor this, Schwartzman should get Argentina’s first singles win.
Tip: Schwartzman to win: 1/3 (bet365)
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The 2021 ATP Cup will be played from February 2 to 6. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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