RICKY’S PICKS FOR THE ROME TENNIS OPEN THIRD ROUND MATCHES: RAFA – RAFAEL NADAL VS. NICK KYRGIOS, AND KEI NISHIKORI VS. RICHARD GASQUET

Written by: Staff on 11th May 2016

RICKY'S PICKS FOR THE ROME TENNIS OPEN THIRD ROUND MATCHES: RAFA - RAFAEL NADAL VS. NICK KYRGIOS, AND KEI NISHIKORI VS. RICHARD GASQUET

epa05299971 Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to Phillipp Kohlschreiber of Germany during their second round match of the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 11 May 2016. EPA/ETTORE FERRARI |

By Ricky Dimon

Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios took care of tough opponents at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Wednesday evening, thus setting up a third-round showdown on Thursday. The jam-packed schedule, as players look to secure spots in the quarterfinals of the final Masters 1000 event prior to the French Open, also includes a matchup between Kei Nishikori and Richard Gasquet.

Ricky previews two of the best matches and makes his predictions.

Nick Kyrgios vs. (5) Rafael Nadal

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios returns the ball to Japanese Kei Nishikori during their Mutua Madrid Open quarter final match played at Caja Magica tennis complex in Madrid, Spain, on 06 May 2016. EPA/JJ GUILLEN

Nadal and Kyrgios will be squaring off for the second time in their careers on Thursday. Their only previous meeting came two years ago on the grass courts of Wimbledon, where Kyrgios scored a 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 upset. The 21-year-old has become a even bigger star since then, both for the right and the wrong reasons. On the court, Kyrgios is up to 20th in the world and he is an outstanding 21-6 this season. So far in Rome he has beaten Salvatore Caruso and No. 10 seed Milos Raonic in straight sets.

Nadal is looking to bounce back from a semifinal setback in Madrid at the hands of Andy Murray and he took a step in that direction by coasting past Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday. The world No. 5 is bidding for a third title on this clay-court swing, having previously triumphed at his old stomping grounds in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. Nadal is 48-4 lifetime in Rome with seven titles, so it is safe to say he will much prefer facing Kyrgios in this setting as opposed to at the All-England Club. Unless the underdog enjoys an unbelievable serving day, Nadal is likely to break him down in a clay-court baseline battle.

Pick: Nadal in 2

(11) Richard Gasquet vs. (6) Kei Nishikori

Nishikori and Gasquet will be facing each other for the eighth time in their careers and for the second time in as many weeks. Gasquet is dominating the head-to-head series 6-1, but Nishikori finally got over the hump with a recent 6-4, 7-5 win in Madrid. Japan’s top player eventually reached the semis before succumbing to Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-6(4). Making a quick turnaround in Rome, Nishikori did not seem to be 100 percent against Viktor Troicki on Tuesday but managed to survive 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

French Richard Gasquet returns the ball to Italian Andreas Seppi during their second round match for the Italian Open Tennis Tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 11 May 2016. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI

Gasquet booked a spot in the last 16 with routine victories over veterans Julien Benneteau and Andreas Seppi. The 12th-ranked Frenchman is a stellar 15-5 for the season with a title in Montpellier and consecutive fourth-round finishes in Indian Wells and Miami. Everything about this particular matchup on Thursday sets up nicely for Gasquet to restore order to his past dominance of Nishikori. The sixth seed may be struggling physically and slower conditions in Rome should benefit Gasquet by giving him the time he needs to set up for strokes that are much less condensed than those of Nishikori.

Pick: Gasquet in 3