RICKY’S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR FRIDAY IN LONDON: MURRAY VS. WAWRINKA AND NISHIKORI VS. CILIC

Written by: Staff on 17th November 2016

RICKY'S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR FRIDAY IN LONDON: MURRAY VS. WAWRINKA AND NISHIKORI VS. CILIC

epa05634251 Croatia's Marin Cilic serves to Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland during their singles group stage match at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 16 November 2016. EPA/HAYOUNG JEON |

By Ricky Dimon

Unlike in Group B at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where Novak Djokovic had already secured his semifinal spot after two matches, everything is still up for grabs among three players in Group A. Andy Murray owns a 2-0 record, but Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori are also in contention. Marin Cilic, who will face Nishikori in Friday’s nightcap following Murray vs. Wawrinka, has been mathematically eliminated.

Ricky previews the action and makes his predictions.

(1) Andy Murray vs. (3) Stan Wawrinka

Murray and Wawrinka will be facing each other for the 17th time in their careers on Thursday afternoon. The head-to-head series stands at 9-7 in favor of Murray, but Wawrinka has won three of their last four meetings dating back to the start of the 2013 campaign. They also squared off during round-robin action at the 2015 World Tour Finals, with Wawrinka prevailing 7-6(4), 6-4. Their only previous encounter this year came in the semifinals of the French Open, where Murray got the job done 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

Britain’s Andy Murray returns the ball to Japan’s Kei Nishikori during their men’s singles match at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 16 November 2016. EPA/WILL OLIVER

The new world No. 1 has been absolutely on fire since finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros. He has won seven of his last nine tournaments and is an amazing 47-3 in his last 50 matches dating back to the start of the grass-court swing, including a current 21-match winning since he lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in a five-set Davis Cup semifinal thriller. The top-seeded Scot opened this week with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Marin Cilic before outlasting Kei Nishikori 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 20 minutes on Wednesday.

Wawrinka has slumped since capturing his third major title at the U.S. Open. The Swiss suffered disappointing setbacks in St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Basel, and Paris, and it looked like his struggles would continue in London. An opening 6-2, 6-3 loss to Nishikori suggested that Wawrinka was on course for another early exit, but he raised his level dramatically and remained in title contention with a 7-6(3), 7-6(3) win over Cilic on Wednesday.

Neither man has secured a spot in the semifinals. Murray would clinch the No. 1 seed out of Group A with a victory and would advance at least in some fashion simply by taking a set. Wawrinka would lock up a place in the weekend with a straight-set win, and if he prevails in three he would need Cilic to take at least one set off Nishikori.

The guesswork, however, will likely be taken out of the equation. Current form, despite Wawrinka’s showing against Cilic, heavily favors Murray. With 200 more points at stake in his quest for the year-end No. 1 ranking and a place in the semis at the O2 Arena not yet assured, a motivated Murray will likely treat the home crowd to another win.

Pick: Murray in 2

(5) Kei Nishikori vs. (7) Marin Cilic

Nishikori and Cilic will be contesting a rematch of the 2014 U.S. Open final–and of the recent Basel title match. The head-to-head series is being led 7-5 by Nishikori, including 6-4 on hard courts, but Cilic has won both of their previous meetings this year. The world No. 7 was coasting 6-1, 5-1 in the Wimbledon fourth round when his opponent retired and he prevailed 6-1, 7-6(5) to take the Basel title last month.

That was a huge result in Cilic’s bid to qualify for the year-end championship, and his spot was not secure until he made a semifinal run at the Paris Masters one week later. The Croat was one of the hottest players on tour heading into London, but things have gone south in a hurry. Cilic started with a 6-3, 6-2 setback against Murray before losing to Wawrinka 7-6(3), 7-6(3).

Japan’s Kei Nishikori returns the ball to Britain’s Andy Murray during their men’s singles match at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 16 November 2016. EPA/WILL OLIVER

Nishikori, on the other hand, is in the midst of an impressive showing at the O2 Arena. The Japanese star crushed Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3 and then dropped a 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4 thriller to Murray that lasted three hours and 20 minutes.

Cilic is out of contention no matter what, but the result of Friday’s opening contest between Murray and Wawrinka could impact this one. If Murray wins, Nishikori will already be through to the semis and this becomes a dead rubber for both players. If Wawrinka upsets Murray, Nishikori will have to beat Cilic to advance.

The chances are good, of course, that Murray emerges victorious–in which case Nishikori can conserve energy in the aftermath of his marathon against Murray.

Pick: Cilic in 3