Brisbane QF previews and picks: Federer vs. Matosevic, Nishikori vs. Cilic

Roger Federer will continue his Brisbane campaign on Friday against Marinko Matosevic. Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic are also bidding for a spot in the semifinals.

(1) Roger Federer vs. Marinko Matosevic

Federer’s 2014 season is off to a solid start so far at the Brisbane International. The world No. 6 is through to both the singles and doubles semifinals, the latter with partner Nicolas Mahut. Federer booked his spot in the last eight of the singles draw with a 6-4, 6-2 rout of Jarkko Nieminen following a first-round bye.

Up next for the Swiss on Friday is Matosevic, whom he has never faced. Matosevic advanced to the quarters with competitive three-set wins over Julien Benneteau and Sam Querrey. The 61st-ranked Australian is looking to bounce back from a relatively lackluster 2013 campaign that saw him compile an 18-25 record at the ATP level. Matosevic is playing at home, but Federer heated up last fall and it looks like that form may be carrying over into this year.

Pick: Federer in 2 with no tiebreakers

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Marin Cilic vs. (2) Kei Nishikori

Cilic and Nishikori will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers on Friday. Nishikori leads the head-to-head series 3-2, and all five of their previous encounters have been contested on hard courts. Their most memorable affair came at the 2010 U.S. Open, with Nishikori advancing to the third round via a 5-7, 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-1 victory after four hours and 59 minutes. They most recently clashed last February in Memphis, where Nishikori prevailed 6-4, 6-2.

After missing all but one tournament (Paris) post-Wimbledon in 2013 due to a drug-related suspension, Cilic vowed going into this season that he would mean business. It looks like he wasn’t kidding. The 6’6” Croat has earned scalps this week of Denis Istomin and No. 5 seed Grigor Dimitrov. Nishikori, meanwhile, got a first-round bye then dismissed Matthew Ebden 6-2, 6-4. Japan’s top player did not play particularly well throughout the second half of 2013 and a motivated Cilic may have a slight edge in these hot conditions with superior firepower.

Pick: Cilic in 3

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