Brisbane QF previews and picks: Nishikori vs. Tomic, Federer vs. Duckworth

An intriguing quarterfinal clash between Kei Nishikori and Bernard Tomic is on Friday’s schedule in Brisbane. Roger Federer will also be gunning for a place in the last four when he faces James Duckworth.

Bernard Tomic vs. (2) Kei Nishikori

Nishikori and Tomic will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they do battle in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International on Friday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2012 London Olympics, where Nishikori prevailed 7-6(4), 7-6(4). The world No. 5 has since taken his game to new heights, with a runner-up showing at the 2014 U.S. Open and a debut appearance in the World Tour Finals shortly thereafter. Nishikori got a first-round bye in Brisbane then held off Steve Johnson 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday.

Tomic looks motivated to deliver a breakout season of his own. The 22-year-old Australian struggled with injuries in 2014 and registers at 53rd in the world, but he is visibly in good shape at the beginning of this campaign and so far it is paying off. Tomic booked his spot in the last eight by defeating Sam Querrey 7-5, 7-6(5) and Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-6(2), 6-1. The 2013 Sydney winner and 2014 Sydney runner-up generally plays well at home in Australia, but Nishikori’s timing and firepower from the back of the court should ultimately get the best of Tomic’s pace-changing.

Pick: Nishikori in 3

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(1) Roger Federer vs. (WC) James Duckworth

Federer, in his own words, is “lucky” to still be alive for quarterfinal action on Friday. The top-seeded Swiss contested his opener on Thursday against Australian wild card John Millman and trailed 6-4, 3-1 before recovering for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory. Federer broke back for 2-3 in the second, dug out of a 0-40 deficit for 3-3, and eventually broke Millman at 3-3 and 5-3 in the deciding set. Thus the 33-year-old still has a chance for his first title at this event after finishing runner-up to Lleyton Hewitt in 2014.

Up next for Federer is Duckworth, another Aussie wild card. It has already been an outstanding week for the 22-year-old, who cruised past a hobbled Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-2 before upsetting Jarkko Nieminen 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3. This is the second meeting between Federer and Duckworth. They faced each other in the first round of last season’s Australian Open, with the favorite dominating 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Federer generally heats up as tournaments progress, so look for a much cleaner performance than the one he turned in against Millman.

Pick: Federer in 2 losing 8-10 games

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