Cincinnati R1 previews and predictions: Coric vs. Korda, Nakashima vs. Wawrinka

Opening-round play continues in Cincinnati on Monday, as American Sebastian Korda takes on Borna Coric and the Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka battles Brandon Nakashima. Coric is the defending champion.

Sebastian Korda vs. (15) Borna Coric

Borna Coric has a tough task this week at the Western & Southern Open. The world No. 15 is defending champion’s points from his win last year in Cincinnati. He has endured a lackluster season so far, with an 18-15 match record heading into this event. With the draw stacked with top-20 players, it seems unlikely Coric will walk away with another 1000 points next Sunday.

In fact, he faces a tough first opponent in Sebastian Korda on Monday. The American has had his own struggles in 2023. Following an impressive start to the year, including a quarterfinal showing at the Australian Open, Korda sustained a wrist injury and hasn’t quite regained his form just yet. He played just two hard-court tournaments this summer and won a single match between the two events.

This will be the first meeting between Coric and Korda. The Croat is in better hard-court form at the moment. He made the semifinals in Los Cabos a couple weeks ago, although he lost in the first round in Toronto. With Korda still finding his hard-court game, this one should go to Coric.

Cheryl pick: Coric in 3

Ricky pick: Korda in 2

Stan Wawrinka vs. Brandon Nakashima

This has been a difficult season for Brandon Nakashima. The young American had a breakthrough year in 2022, but his ranking has slipped from a career high of 43rd to his current spot at No. 74. Nakashima has a pair of match wins in three tournaments on North American hard courts, including a first-round ouster in Toronto last week at the hands of Jiri Lehecka.

Cincinnati is Stan Wawrinka’s first hard-court event this summer. The Swiss veteran made the decision to stay on European clay following Wimbledon–a wise move considering he made the final in Umag a few weeks ago. Wawrinka is ranked 49th in the world, and while he isn’t the threat he was at the height of his career he is still a dangerous opponent.

Given Nakashima’s current form difficulties, expect this battle to go Wawrinka’s way.

Cheryl pick: Wawrinka in 3

Ricky pick: Wawrinka in 3