TennisSection previews the 2021 Rome Open as Alexander Zverev (6) meets Kei Nishikori in the Round of 16 on Thursday, May 13th, 2021.
Will Kei Nishikori be able to get revenge for that very easy defeat to Alexander Zverev last week in Madrid? Will Alexander Zverev continue to dominate as his game seems to be at its peak on clay in the last week or so? Both players can win this match if they are on top of their game, but only one will make their way to the Quarter-finals of the 2021 Rome Open. Who will it be?
Kei Nishikori has not had to do too much here in Rome to get to the Round of 16, beating Fabio Fognini in the Round of 64 in straight sets 6-3/6-4, and then not having to play his following match as Pablo Carreno Busta withdrew with an injury. Kei Nishikori will be happy to be in Rome, compared to Madrid, as the conditions and the way the ball bounces here better suit his playing style. However, he also knows that he will have to raise his level drastically if he is to beat Alexander Zverev who destroyed him just last week in Madrid. Can Kei get revenge on Thursday?
Alexander Zverev just seems to be continuing to improve as he came through his first match here at the 2021 Rome Open, beating Hugo Dellien in straight sets 6-2/6-2. Alexander Zverev knows that if he loses this momentum, it might be a while before he is able to rebuild it and get himself to this playing level. The German will have to ensure if he able to maintain his composure during the tight moments, and especially on his second serve here in Rome against very tough opponents like Kei Nishikori who will definitely bring out their best against him.
Alexander Zverev and Kei Nishikori have met 4 times before, with Alexander Zverev leading the head to head 3-1. They met just last week in Madrid where Zverev won in straight sets 6-3/6-2. In these higher bouncing and increased spin conditions of the 2021 Rome Open however, I expect for it to be a much tigher match than that. It is hard to determine a winner as Kei can sometimes just bring out some moments of magic on the tennis court, so I will go with a prediction of a 3-set match. Both players can win it, but they won’t win it easily.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: 3 Sets in the Match.
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