Australian Open R4 previews and picks: Nishikori vs. Ferrer, Wawrinka vs. Garcia-Lopez

Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer will renew their rivalry on Monday at the Australian Open. Stan Wawrinka and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez are also expanding on some recent head-to-head history as they aim for a spot in the quarterfinals.

(9) David Ferrer vs. (5) Kei Nishikori

Ferrer and Nishikori will be squaring off for the 10th time in their careers when they collide in round four of the Australian Open on Monday. Nishikori has taken control of the head-to-head series with four consecutive wins dating back to the start of 2014 and he now leads it 6-3. Interestingly, all of the world No. 5’s victories have come in final sets while each one of Ferrer’s triumphs has come in straights. Their one previous encounter at this event was dominated by the Spaniard 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in 2013, also in the fourth round. They most recently met at last fall’s World Tour Finals, where Ferrer filled in for Milos Raonic as an alternate but went down to the Japanese star 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Nishikori’s recent hot streak against Ferrer can be attributed to not only his overall improvement in form under coach Michael Chang, but also to mostly consistent health. This fortnight’s No. 5 seed is now better able to withstand grueling matches, of which he has not had any in Melbourne. Ivan Dodig and Steve Johnson were somewhat competitive, but Nishikori finished them in four. Ferrer is coming off a four-set win over Gilles Simon that lasted three hours and 37 minutes. The Doha champion has turned in an outstanding start to this season, but current trends indicate he will not have the edge in what is sure to be an extended battle.

Pick: Nishikori in 5

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(4) Stan Wawrinka vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

Wawrinka will be looking to avenge arguably his most alarming loss of 2014 when he continues his title defense on Monday. One major after triumphing Down Under, the Swiss was stunned by Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 in the French Open first round. For their careers, Wawrinka leads the head-to-head series 4-3 at the ATP level and 5-3 overall. Their only previous hard-court clash came at the Australian Open in 2010, when Wawrinka rolled 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

Garcia-Lopez has capitalized on an absolute dream draw. His two nearest seeds were Fabio Fognini and Alexandr Dolgopolov, meaning he instead faced Alejandro Gonzalez and a less-than-100 percent Vasek Pospisil. Following a retirement from Peter Gojowyczk in his opener, Garcia-Lopez had no trouble with either Gonzalez or Pospisil. Wawrinka, meanwhile, has taken out Marsel Ilhan, Marius Copil, and Jarkko Nieminen all in straight sets. On a surface that favors him heavily and at a tournament in which he almost always showcases his best level, the world No. 4 will make the Roland Garros aberration feel like a lifetime ago.

Pick: Wawrinka in 3

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