RICKY DIMON’S PICKS FOR THURSDAY’S MEN’S QUARTERFINALS TENNIS IN MIAMI

Written by: on 2nd April 2015
Miami Open tennis tournament
RICKY DIMON'S PICKS FOR THURSDAY'S MEN'S QUARTERFINALS TENNIS IN MIAMI

epa04688303 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine during a fourth round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, USA, 31 March 2015. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER  |

Three of the four highest-ranked players in the top half of the Miami Open draw successfully navigated their ways to the quarterfinals. Milos Raonic nearly made it four for four, but John Isner crashed the party. The result is a Thursday slate featuring Novak Djokoic vs. David Ferrer and Isner vs. Kei Nishikori.

 

Previews and picks for Thursday’s two quarterfinals:

(1) Novak Djokoic vs. (6) David Ferrer

 

David Ferrer of Spain in action against Federico Delbonis of Argentina during their second round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, USA, 28 March 2015. EPA/RHONA WISE

Djokovic and Ferrer will be facing each other for the 19th time in their careers on Thursday. The top-ranked Serb leads the head-to-head series 13-5, including 11-2 on hard courts and seven in a row overall. Their last meeting also came in the quarterfinals of a hard-court Masters 1000, with Djokovic dominating 6-4, 6-2 last fall in Shanghai.

 

Djokovic, who is attempting to accomplish the Indian Wells-Miami double, has struggled at times while trying to bounce back from a productive but long fortnight in the desert. He has dropped sets to both Martin Klizan and Alexandr Dolgopolov, even trailing the Ukrainian by a set and 3-0. Ferrer, meanwhile, has destroyed Federico Delbonis, Lukas Rosol, and Gilles Simon. The seventh-ranked Spaniard is 22-2 on the season. Current form suggests Ferrer can make this competitive, but at some point Djokovic is going to answer one of his wake-up calls and it would not be surprising if it comes against an opponent whom he has owned of late.

 

Pick: Djokovic in 2

 

(4) Kei Nishikori vs. (22) John Isner

 

Isner’s year got off to an awful start, but as usual he has heated up in the friendly confines of the United States. The 6’10” American’s 3-5 record through eight matches included a Davis Cup loss to Great Britain’s James Ward. Fast forward a few weeks, though, and Isner has a fourth-round performance in Indian Wells to his credit plus wins in Miami over Andrey Rublev, Grigor Dimitrov, and Milos Raonic–the latter in a third-set tiebreaker.

Kei Nishikori of Japan in action David Goffin of Belgium during a fourth round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, USA, 31 March 2015. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER

John Isner of the USA reacts against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during their third round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, USA, 30 March 2015 EPA/RHONA WISE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nishikori has had no such competitive matches, and that is putting it mildly. In fact, the world No. 5 has not even surrendered more than two games in a single set while destroying Mikhail Youzhny (6-2, 6-1), Viktor Troicki (6-2, 6-2), and David Goffin (6-1, 6-2). Strong play in Miami is nothing out of the ordinary for Nishikori, who reached the semifinals last year before being forced to withdraw. The fourth seed is obviously not going to beat Isner by the convincing scorelines of the previous rounds, but his form does mean that the underdog must serve unbelievably well in order to have a chance.

 

Pick: Nishikori in 3

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

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