ANDY MURRAY, RAFAEL NADAL, & KEI NISHIKORI RETURN TO TENNIS ACTION WITH A PAIR OF 500-POINT EVENTS – AS POINTS COUNT BIG BUILDING UP TO ATP YEAR END BARCLAYS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Written by: Staff on 2nd October 2016

ANDY MURRAY, RAFAEL NADAL, & KEI NISHIKORI RETURN TO TENNIS ACTION WITH A PAIR OF 500-POINT EVENTS - AS POINTS COUNT BIG BUILDING UP TO ATP YEAR END BARCLAYS CHAMPIONSHIPS

epa05514591 Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return to Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan during their match on the first day of the US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 29 August 2016. The US Open runs through September 11. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

Murray, Nadal, and Nishikori return to action with pair of 500-point events on the schedule

By Ricky Dimon

The Grand Slam year may be over, but the pace will pick up again this week with the onset of two 500-point events. Nine of the top 11 players in the 2016 race to the World Tour Finals are in action, and all 11 would have been if not for injuries sustained by U.S. Open finalists Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka.

Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal headline the field at the China Open, joined by Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, David Ferrer, and Lucas Pouille. At the Japan Open, meanwhile, Kei Nishikori is the top seed as he takes aim at his third title at that tournament. Nishikori could get more than enough competition from Gael Monfils, Marin Cilic, and Shenzhen champion Tomas Berdych.

China Open

Top seed: Andy Murray

2015 champion: Novak Djokovic (not playing)

Draw analysis: Nadal could be in line for a rematch with Pouille in what is an intriguing bottom quarter of the bracket. The Spaniard, who was stunned by Pouille in a five-setter at the U.S. Open, should make easy work of Paolo Lorenzi before possibly facing compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who recently finished runner-up in Chengdu. Assuming Pouille takes care of Yen-Hsun Lu, his second-round affair would come against either Grigor Dimitrov or Steve Johnson. All four of the previous encounters between Dimitrov and Johnson have come since the start of last summer and they have squared off twice in the last three months. Raonic and Shenzhen runner-up Richard Gasquet are also in the same half of the bracket.

Andy Murray of Britain returns a shot to Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on the eighth day of the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 05 September 2016. The US Open runs through 11 September. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT

Murray’s path could not be any more favorable. The second-ranked Scot should coast through two rounds and his likely quarterfinal adversary, Roberto Bautista Agut, is a well-known disaster against the top 10. At 100 percent, Thiem would be tipped to reach the semifinals and meet Murray—but the 23-year-old Austrian has struggled since overloading his schedule from January through the French Open. The other seed in Thiem’s quarter, David Ferrer, is clearly on the way down at 34 years old.

Quarterfinal picks: Andy Murray over Roberto Bautista Agut, Alexander Zverev over David Ferrer, Milos Raonic over Pablo Carreno Busta, and Rafael Nadal over Steve Johnson

Semifinals: Murray over Zverev and Nadal over Raonic

Final: Murray over Nadal

Rakuten Japan Open

Top seed: Kei Nishikori

2015 champion: Stan Wawrinka (not playing)

Kei Nishikori of Japan hits a return to Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland during their semifinal round match on the twelfth day of the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 09 September 2016. The US Open runs through September 11. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

Draw analysis: Nishikori fell to Benoit Paire in the semis of this event last fall, but he has to like his chances of recapturing the trophy. Not only is the Japanese star in stellar form, but his draw is also a good one—and it’s one that was vacated by Wawrinka (back problem). First-round foe Nicolas Almagro defeated Nishikori in the Tokyo quarterfinals in 2014, but this no longer the same Almagro. Joao Sousa or Martin Klizan should be easy pickings for the No. 1 seed in the second round and possible quarterfinal opponent David Goffin has cooled off dramatically since Wimbledon. Saturday’s semis are likely to include another installment of the familiar Nishikori-Cilic rivalry.

Monfils may have a more difficult time at the bottom of the draw. The Frenchman finds himself in the same quarter as an in-form Ivo Karlovic and in the same half as Berdych and Nick Kyrgios. Berdych and Kyrgios are on a collision course for the last eight, although they have tough opening matches on their hands against Gilles Muller and Ryan Harrison, respectively. If the world No. 9 advances past Muller, he could meet Marcos Baghadatis in round two.

Quarterfinal picks: Kei Nishikori over Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic over Feliciano Lopez, Nick Kyrgios over Marcos Baghdatis, and Ivo Karlovic over Gael Monfils

Semifinals: Nishikori over Cilic and Karlovic over Kyrgios

Final: Nishikori over Karlovic