Finals previews and predictions: Nishikori vs. Dolgopolov, Harrison vs. Basilashvili

Three of the four finalists in Buenos Aires and Memphis are unseeded, with Kei Nishikori being the only exception. Nishikori will battle Alexandr Dolgopolov for the Buenos Aires title on Sunday, while Ryan Harrison and Nikoloz Basilashvili are the last two standing in Memphis.

Buenos Aires: (1) Kei Nishikori vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov

Nishikori made the move from the Memphis Open–which he won four times in a row–to the Golden Swing this year, but the more things change the more they may stay the same. While Nishikori is leaving the Memphis spoils to either Ryan Harrison or Nikoloz Basilashvili, the world No. 5 is one win away from capturing a new title at the Argentina Open. He is through to the final thanks to victories this week over Diego Schwartzman, Joao Sousa, and Carlos Berlocq.

Up next for Nishikori on Sunday is a sixth career meeting with Dolgopolov, who is a hopeless 0-5 in the head-to-head series. In fact, the Ukrainian has never even taken a single set–0-10 lifetime in that department. They most recently faced each other last spring on the clay courts of Barcelona, where Nishikori cruised 7-5, 6-0. Dolgopolov had been mired in an injury-plagued slump, but he earned another shot at Nishikori by beating Janko Tipsarevic, Pablo Cuevas, Gerald Melzer, and Pablo Carreno Busta. The world No. 66 is 2-4 for his career in ATP finals and based on both current form and past head-to-head history, he will likely be 2-5 after this one.

Pick: Nishikori in 2

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Memphis: Nikoloz Basilashvili vs. Ryan Harrison

Almost a decade after picking up his first ATP-level match victory, Harrison has advanced to his first-ever ATP final at the Memphis Open. It has been a long time coming for the 24-year-old, but it has not come out of nowhere. Harrison heated up last season by qualifying left and right for ATP tournaments and he has maintained momentum in 2017 with a recent Challenger title in Dallas. So far in Memphis the world No. 62 has taken out Konstantin Kravchuk, Sam Querrey, Damir Dzumhur, and Donald Young without losing a single set.

A second career encounter with Basilashvili awaits Harrison on Sunday. Their only previous meeting came on the Futures circuit back in 2009, when the American prevailed 6-4, 6-4 indoors in Florida. Playing the best tennis of his life, Basilashvili already owns nine ATP-level wins this season and has soared to a career-high ranking of 67th in the world. The Georgian punched his ticket to a second ATP final (Kitzbuhel 2016, lost to ) by beating Jordan Thompson, Ivo Karlovic, Matthew Ebden, and Mikhail Kukushkin. The competition level ratchets up extensively in the form of a confident Harrison, who is past due for his first triumph.

Pick: Harrison in 2

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