Seeds John Isner and Kei Nishikori will take the court in Memphis on Tuesday. Florian Mayer and James Blake are also in action.
(3) John Isner vs. Denis Istomin
Isner and Istomin will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they meet in round one of the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships on Tuesday night. Their only previous encounter came four years ago on the hard courts of Indianapolis, where Isner prevailed 6-4, 6-4. The 6’9” American is a considerable favorite on paper, but he has been struggling ever since last summer’s U.S. Open. He slumped in the fall and a knee injury has kept him well below 100 percent in 2013. Isner, still a decent 16th in the world, earned his first two ATP tournament wins of the season last week in San Jose before falling to Tommy Haas in the semifinals.
Istomin finished runner-up to Milos Raonic last year at the SAP Open, but this time around he had to face Raonic in the quarterfinals and he went down in straight sets. The 63rd-ranked Uzbek is a solid 8-4 for his 2013 campaign, with three quarterfinal finishes (also in Brisbane and Sydney). Isner always plays his best on American hard courts, so he should win this if he is close to 100 percent or armed with at least some semblance of confidence following his performance in San Jose. It remains to be seen, however, if health or confidence has materialized.
Pick: Istomin in 3
(Q) Illya Marchenko vs. (5) Kei Nishikori
Nishikori will kick off his Memphis campaign on Tuesday afternoon. The Japanese star has played only two events in 2013, but he is off to a solid start. Nishikori reached the semifinals in Brisbane (retired against Andy Murray) and advanced three rounds at the Australian Open before bowing out to David Ferrer.
Marchenko looked like a bright prospect for the Ukraine in his early 20s, but he is mired down at No. 146 in the world at 25 years old. He has already fared well, however, in Memphis. Marchenko defeated Andrey Golubev and Matthew Ebden in qualifying, both in three sets. This a big step up in competition from Marchenko’s norm, though, so the outlook for him in this one is not good.
Pick: Nishikori in 2
Florian Mayer vs. (WC) James Blake
Mayer and Blake will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers on Tuesday in Memphis. Blake is leading the head-to-head series 3-1 and all four of their previous encounters have come on hard courts. Mayer, however, won their only indoor meeting which came last season in Metz (a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 decision).
Blake has slowed down considerably in his 30s and the 33-year-old American is struggling down at No. 109 in the world. He posted some decent results last year but failed to qualify for the Australian Open and lost in the semifinals of the Dallas Challenger earlier this month. Mayer, at the same time, may be in even worse form. The 29th-ranked German is 3-5 for his 2013 campaign and he is coming off a blowout loss to Nikolay Davydenko in the Rotterdam first round.
Pick: Blake in 2
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