The semifinal of the 2019 ATP Brisbane will feature the Japanese No. 1 Kei Nishikori against the World No. 40 Jeremy Chardy.
Watch & bet on Kei Nishikori v Jeremy Chardy live at the ATP Brisbane International with bet365 here* on Saturday, January 5.
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Nishikori v Chardy Head to Head
Nishikori and Chardy have met each other on eight occasions so far in their careers. It comes as no surprise to see the Japanese lead Chardy by 6-2 in the head to head tally. Of those six wins, five came in their previous five encounters.
They last met in 2017 in the second round of the Australian Open and the French Open. Nishikori won on both the instances in straight sets.
Nishikori’s Perfect Start in Brisbane
The World No. 9 has started his 2019 campaign in Brisbane on a phenomenal note. Having enjoyed a bye into the second round as the second seed, he faced Denis Kudla in his opening match. It didn’t take long for the Japanese to dispatch his American adversary in straight sets there.
He then moved on to face Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinal in what was one of the most exciting games of the season so far. The two giants clashed but at the end of the day, it was Nishikori once again who took the match 7-5, 7-5, in a little over 90 minutes.
The Japanese kept his first service win rate at 80% while going on the break point only once. He has been highly clinical in his matches and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go the distance here.
Nishikori last won a title in 2016 before succumbing to injuries the next year. He started the 2018 season outside of top 20 and fought his way back into the top 10 owing to a remarkable performance. The 29-year-old has been quite consistent and it is a treat for the fans to start his year on such an excellent note.
Chardy’s First Semifinal Appearance since June 2018
Chardy, who is currently ranked as the World No. 40, last made it to the semifinal in ATP London in June 2018. Thereafter, he spent the rest of the season trying to make it past the early rounds in the tournaments he played in. His win-loss tally at the end of the year was 24-23 with no singles title.
The Frenchman is not among the most consistent players on the tour although, he does have the ability to surprise. For instance, in the Miami Masters last year, he defeated Richard Gasquet and Grigor Dimitrov before ultimately losing to Milos Raonic in the fourth round. He also won the Challenger event at Surbiton and was also the runner-up at the Libema Open.
As for his run in Brisbane, he has been pushed to the limit in all of his three matches. In his opening match against Jan-Lennard Struff, he needed three sets to move to the second round. Then, he faced Nick Kyrgios whom he defeated stunningly in three sets to reach the quarterfinal.
Most recently, he defeated the Japanese qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4).
Chardy v Nishikori – Who Will Win?
Given the form Nishikori is in, he is most definitely going to start as the favorite. However, Chardy has been quite resilient in Brisbane and he is going to put up a good fight. We can expect this one to go to three sets where the Japanese should come out on the top.
You can watch & bet on Kei Nishikori v Jeremy Chardy live in the ATP Brisbane International with bet365 on Saturday, January 5.
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