An interesting quarterfinal lineup in Memphis features a showdown between Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori. Feliciano Lopez and Jack Sock are also in action on Friday.
(1) Marin Cilic vs. (5) Kei Nishikori
Cilic and Nishikori will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they do battle in the quarterfinals of the U.S. National Indoor Championships on Friday. The head-to-head series is all tied up at two wins apiece, and all four of their previous encounters have come on hard courts (although this will be their first indoor meeting). They most recently faced each other in the third round of last year’s U.S. Open, with Cilic prevailing 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3 to avenge a five-set defeat at the 2010 event.
Both players are on top of their games at the moment. Nishikori registers at a solid 22nd in the world–seven spots off his career-high–and he is 8-2 for the season following straight-set wins in Memphis over qualifiers Illya Marchenko and Donald Young. Cilic has been living on thin ice during his debut appearance at this tournament. The 12th-ranked Croat, who owns an 11-2 record for his 2013 campaign, came back from a set down against Ivan Dodig then saved three match points to outlast Igor Sijsling 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(7).
When he is playing his best tennis, Cilic has a bigger game than his opponent–especially on this surface. Nishikori, however, has enjoyed a much more routine path to the last eight. The key for the top seed will be to make first serves and control the match with his one-two punch of serve and forehand. If Nishikori plays his way into a bunch of baseline grinds, a slight upset is possible.
Pick: Cilic in 3
Feliciano Lopez vs. (WC) Jack Sock
It will be a surprising quarterfinal clash when Lopez and Jack Sock go head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Friday.Sock did it the hard way, advancing this far by stunning second-seeded Milos Raonic in three sets before ousting James Blake 7-5, 6-4 in round two. The 168th-ranked American saved nine of 10 break points–including five set points in the first–before advancing. Sock, whose only previous quarterfinal came last summer in Atlanta, now owns eight ATP-level wins for his career.
Lopez, on the other hand, got a free pass on Thursday night when Tommy Haas withdrew due to illness. That walkover was preceded by a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Benjamin Becker. The 31-year-old Spaniard is 3-3 for the season and he registers at 47th in the world.While Lopez has always done some of his best work on indoor hard courts, the surface should also suit Sock’s game–which features a big serve, huge forehand, and a desire to keep points short. An upset is possible if the underdog maintains this form, but Lopez’s experience should help see him through.
Pick: Lopez in 3
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