Diego Schwartzman, the world number 17, will play Yoshito Nishioka of Japan in the quarter-finals of the Sydney International on Thursday.
Watch & bet on Diego Schwartzman v Yoshito Nishioka live in the ATP Sydney International with bet365 here* on Thursday, January 10.
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Diego Schwartzman v Yoshito Nishioka Head to Head
The pair have yet to meet in a competitive match on the ATP Tour so we need to look elsewhere for a guide to the recent form of both players.
Can Nishioka Cause a Surprise?
23-year old Nishioka is currently ranked 75 in the world, some 17 positions below his highest position which he reached in March 2017.
A left-handed player with a two-handed backhand, he boasts one ATP career title to his name, winning the Shenzen Open last year.
He came into this week’s tournament through the qualifying draw, and has reached this stage by beating Ryan Harrison of the USA and then claiming an impressive 6-3, 6-1 win over one of the rising stars of the game, Russia’s Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.
Schwartzman, originally seeded three for this tournament, is three year’s Nishikori’s senior, and has been in the world’s top twenty for the past year.
Nicknamed El Peque (“shorty” in Spanish) because he is only 5 foot, 7 inches tall, the right-hander has two ATP titles to his name, both won on clay – in Istanbul in 2016, and in Rio last year. With the Australian Open around the corner, he would love to get tested on hard-courts but will want to go through to the final rounds.
Schwartzman versus Nishioka – Who will Win?
On paper, Schwartzman, as the higher-seed and top 20 player will start the match as favourite.
Having enjoyed a bye in the first round, he comfortably saw off veteran qualifier Guillermo López in his match on Wednesday, in what was his first competitive match since losing to Germany’s Alexander Zeverev in the third round in Paris more than two months ago.
However, despite losing two Belgian Open finals, hard courts are not his favourite surface which may give his Japanese opponent, who is in good form this week, a chance. The Argentine should still win but it may go to three sets.
You can watch & bet on Schwartzman v Nishioka live in the ATP Sydney International with bet365 here on Thursday.
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