Adelaide International 2023: Holger Rune vs Yoshihito Nishioka Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Adelaide International as Holger Rune takes on Yoshihito Nishioka in the Round of 32 on Monday, January 2, 2023.

The fifth seed at the Adelaide International Holger Rune will battle Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka in a popcorn opener. Who will prevail?

Holger Rune produced an unforgettable season in 2022. Having started last season as a greenhorn, Rune ended the year as a fledgling Tour-level competitor. Adding Patrick Mouratoglou to his team proved to be a masterstroke. Rune won the biggest ATP title of his career at the Paris Masters beating four Top 10 opponents in a row including Novak Djokovic in the final. That result nearly earned him an unlikely spot among the final eight at the ATP Finals. Rune will now look to elevate to new heights in 2023, and his coach Mouratoglou admits his potential is simply limitless. How will he fare in his first outing against the dangerous Yoshihito Nishioka?

Yoshihito Nishioka, meanwhile, also produced a fine season in 2022, catapulting with a Top 40 year-end ranking. He fell short to earn a seeding spot at this month’s Australian Open, sitting just four spots at No. 36 in the rankings. Nonetheless, Nishioka is a name not any of top 32 seeds will want to play right out of the gate. The Japanese lefty is a master tactician. He has the ability to conjure up some incredible groundstroke accuracy from the baseline and create sharp angles. If Nishioka can build on his 2022 season, there is no reason whatsoever he cannot continue climbing the ATP ladder. He is set to clash with Holger Rune at the Adelaide International in a mouthwatering opener.

Holger Rune and Yoshihito Nishioka have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Monday’s match at the Adelaide International will be their first official meeting. Rune will be wary of the strengths that Nishioka has in store. The Japanese man is a tough cookie and is generally comfortable on hard courts. The Dane will need to be at his best level to give himself the best chance of coasting to victory here. But any drop in concentration will be fully exploited. This will be tight but Rune’s experience from playing high-caliber opponents in the past year should hold him in good stead.