John Isner will go up against an 18-year-old American for the second time in 24 hours when he battles wild card Reilly Opelka for a spot in the Atlanta semifinals on Saturday. Nick Kyrgios and Yoshihito Nishioka are also in action.
(1) John Isner vs. (WC) Reilly Opelka
Death, taxes, and John Isner winning matches at the BB&T Atlanta Open. Those may seem like the three certainties of life–at least that is how it may seem at the beginning of the U.S. Open Series each year. Isner is now 23-3 lifetime in Atlanta and the three-time defending champion has never lost prior to the semifinals in seven appearances. He is through to another semi in 2016 following straight-set victories this week over Adrian Mannarino and Taylor Fritz.
Up next for Isner on Saturday night is Opelka, an 18-year-old American just like Fritz. Opelka had never won a match at the ATP level prior to his arrival in Atlanta, but he has announced himself on tour by beating Christopher Eubanks, Kevin Anderson, and Donald Young. Anderson led 5-2 in the third set and even had two match points on his own serve before Opelka stormed back from the brink of defeat. Although the world No. 837 can make any match competitive thanks to his huge serve, Isner represents the toughest competition the underdog has ever faced. Not only is Isner borderline unbeatable in Atlanta, but he has also been surprisingly stellar from the back of the court through two rounds with eight service breaks.
Pick: Isner in 2
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Yoshihito Nishioka vs. (2) Nick Kyrgios
Kyrgios and Nishioka will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the first time at the ATP level on Saturday. Their only previous encounter came two years ago on the clay courts of the Savannah Challenger, where Kyrgios cruised 6-3, 6-2. Both players’ professional paths have taken flight since then, albeit to much different extents. Kyrgios is up to No. 18 in the world and his 2016 record stands at an impressive 28-11. The 21-year-old Australian punched his ticket to the Atlanta semifinals by beating Jared Donaldson 7-6(4), 6-3 and Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3.
Nishioka is through this his first-ever ATP semifinal thanks to three-set defeats of Daniel Evans (saved four match points) and Alexandr Dolgopolov before a more routine 6-4, 6-4 victory over Horacio Zeballos. The Japanese 20-year-old owns eight of his 11 career ATP-level match wins this season. This, however, is almost certainly where Nishioka’s run will come to an end. The discrepancy in firepower is massive, and the underdog may be just a little bit overwhelmed by playing in such uncharted territory.
Pick: Kyrgios in 2
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Isner in three and Kyrgios in two. Been loving Opelka this week so I’m giving him a set. Still haven’t seen one nishioka match but he should finally lose as Kyrgios will be his toughest test so far for sure especially after how nick played against Nando (especially in the last set).
straight sets in both…the Big Dawg and Kyrios.