An interesting quarter-final clash in Miami sees 6th seed Kei Nishikori face off against 16th seed Gael Monfils, for a place in the semi-finals at the Miami Open. This match will take place on Stadium Court at any time after 15:00 Miami Time (20:00 UK Time), and the winner will face 12th seed Milos Raonic or 24th seed Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals.
Both men have played some impressive tennis so far. Nishikori has faced difficult opponents so far, but is yet to drop a set. The Japanese star has seen off qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Alexandr Dolgopolov and 17th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in strong performances; he’ll be hard to beat if he plays like that. Monfils also impressed in his opening rounds, easing past qualifier Tatsuma Ito and 23rd seed Pablo Cuevas. Things got a bit more tricky as he had to come from a set down to beat 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov, but the Frenchman has still played well so far and will be a tough opponent for anybody.
Both men have played well so far, though one advantage Monfils has is that he is arguably more powerful than Nishikori. The Frenchman will certainly need to be consistent, always a problem for him, but could win the match if he utilizes his power. The 16th seed will need to serve well and should look to try and dictate rallies as much as possible, but importantly must try to remain focused throughout; Nishikori is strong enough to take advantage of any moments where Monfils isn’t focused. The 6th seed must be prepared to defend well against Monfils’ power and should also look to serve well. Nishikori should also look to try and finish points as quickly as possible, as the Frenchman could be able of using his power to win the longer rallies.
Nishikori won the only previous meeting between the two back in 2014, and that was in three sets so hopefully this match will be just as competitive. The Japanese star has played well so far and certainly has a good opportunity, though Monfils has also played well the past two weeks, and it seems that there could be an upset here.
Prediction: Monfils in 3
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