Fellow Americans John Isner and Ryan Harrison will contest second-round matches on Wednesday in Memphis. They are going up against Ivan Dodig and Kei Nishikori, respectively.
(3) John Isner vs. Ivan Dodig
Isner and Dodig will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in the second round of the Memphis Open on Monday. Not too surprisingly, Isner is 1-0 against Dodig in the United States and 0-1 versus the Croat outside of the friendly confines of his home country. The world No. 18 survived 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) two years in Miami after breaking serve to stay in the match late in the third set. Dodig exacted revenge with a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 victory at last summer’s Toronto Masters.
The world No. 86, who has found more success in doubles of late, earned his place in the second round by defeating Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-2, 6-2 on Monday. Dodig is a respectable 5-3 for the season and he has now won his opener at four consecutive tournaments. Isner’s Australian Open campaign resulted in a disappointing straight-set loss to Gilles Muller in the last 32. However, the 6’10” American is back on home soil for the next two months and he generally thrives under these circumstances.
Pick: Isner in 3
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(1) Kei Nishikori vs. (Q) Ryan Harrison
After making his debut appearance at the World Tour Finals in 2014, Nishikori has remained in outstanding form to begin this year. The Japanese star reached the Brisbane semifinals before losing a high-quality showdown against Milos Raonic. He made it to the Australian Open quarterfinals then lost to defending champion Stan Wawrinka. There is no reason to think Nishikori will slow down in Memphis, where he has lifted the trophy on each of the past two occasions.
Up first for the top seed on Wednesday is Harrison, for whom it has already been a stellar week. The 165th-ranked American qualified for the main draw and dismissed Malek Jaziri in a pair of tiebreakers on Tuesday. He is also through to the doubles quarterfinals with compatriot Austin Krajicek. For the recent Happy Valley Challenger champion, however, this is a significant step up in competition. Harrison’s first-ever meeting with Nishikori will be a good test to see if his game is really back to a top-100 kind of level.
Pick: Nishikori in 2
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I wonder if Dodig just might get the win against Isner. I know that Isner usually plays well when he’s in the states, but Dodig seems to have the game to cause some trouble. I think this one will go three sets.
Nishi should have no trouble with Harrison in two sets. But I would like to see this match so that I can check out Harrison and see if he’s back on track. I didn’t realize that his ranking had fallen so much. It would be nice to see him get back into the top 100.