World No. 7 Kei Nishikori will go head to head with the American Taylor Fritz, in the second round of the 2019 ATP Barcelona Open. The match will take place on Tuesday, April 23, at 11:00 am local time (10:00 am BST). Get Kei Nishikori v Taylor Fritz live streaming options here.
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Kei Nishikori v Taylor Fritz Head to Head
The two gents have met only once on the tour – back in the final of the 2016 ATP Memphis. Nishikori won that match in straight sets.
Nishikori, Two-Time Champion in Barcelona
Kei Nishikori has won the Barcelona Open twice in his career, last winning the tournament back in 2015. He was also the runner-up in the 2016 edition, losing to Rafael Nadal in the final back then.
The Japanese No. 1 has had a pretty decent season so far, winning the Brisbane International earlier this year and reaching the quarterfinal in Melbourne. That title was his first won since 2016 and has really helped him find his rhythm on the tour again. He was also a semifinalist in Rotterdam, thus delivering one of the best performances in recent times in his career.
Needless to mention, Nishikori has done a brilliant job of recovering from his injuries and making it into the top 10 once again. Last year, he was the finalist in the Japan Open and Vienna Open, and also made it to the ATP World Tour Finals later that year.
However, his run in the last couple of tournaments hasn’t been that promising. He lost his opening game in the Miami Masters and incurred a similar fate in the Monte-Carlo Masters too.
A Positive Start for Fritz
The 21-year-old American started his run in Barcelona with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Reilly Opelka in the first round. The match lasted for just 55 minutes and saw the American win 77% of his first service points.
The season so far has been a rather dull one for Fritz, barring a quarterfinal run in Auckland and a third-round stint in the Australian Open. He also won the Newport Beach Challenger but hasn’t been that successful in carrying that momentum to the ATP Tour.
Following first-round defeats in Indian Wells, Miami, and Houston, he had some sort of revival on clay. In Monte Carlo, he reached the third round after moving past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Diego Schwartzman.
Nishikori v Fritz Predictions & Tips
Nishikori will be expected to win this match comfortably in straight sets. Despite his recent surprising defeats, he is still considerably stronger and more experienced than his American counterpart. While he can run into some sort of resistance from Fritz, it is not likely to be serious enough to cause grave problems for Nishikori.
Tip: Under 21.5 games in the match: 10/11 (Bet365)
You can watch & bet on Kei Nishikori v Taylor Fritz on Tuesday, April 23rd here. . The match begins at 11:00 am local time in Barcelona.
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