A trio of Americans are through to the second round in Shanghai and at least one will reach the last 16. John Isner and Steve Johnson are set for an all-American showdown on Wednesday, while Jack Sock is going up against Kei Nishikori.
(13) John Isner vs. Steve Johnson
Isner and Johnson will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this season when they collide in round two of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Wednesday. Johnson survived their only previous meeting 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(6) this summer on the hard courts of Washington, D.C. An American hard court generally gives Isner his best chance against anyone, but he endured one of the worst summers of his careers. After a slew of tough losses, the 6’10” American may be back to his winning ways in pressure-packed moments. He saved a match point and outlasted Tommy Robredo 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) to reach last week’s Beijing semifinals and he held off Pablo Andujar in three sets on Monday.
Johnson is in the midst of a breakout season that has him up to No. 42 in the world. The 24-year-old American boasts 19 of his 26 career ATP-level match victories in 2014, including a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 defeat of Andrey Golubev on Tuesday. Notable recent results for Johnson include a quarterfinal in Washington, D.C., a third-round showing in Cincinnati, and a quarterfinal last week in Tokyo. As well as Johnson is playing, Isner will be eager for revenge and the No. 13 seed’s serve could be the difference in what is sure to be an extremely competitive affair.
Pick: Isner in 3
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Jack Sock vs. (7) Kei Nishikori
Sock missed out on a getting a shot at Nishikori in the U.S. Open second round because he was forced to retire in his opener against Andujar due to a calf injury. That matchup vs. the eventual runner-up almost certainly would not have turned out well for Sock, but the underdog American should have a real chance this time around. Nishikori has been playing a ton of tennis even after his breakout performance in New York, with back-to-back titles in Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.
The Japanese star did not come out 100 percent physically from his long week in Tokyo, where he outlasted Milos Raonic in a three-set final on Sunday. Sock may be able to capitalize because he is playing arguably the best tennis of his career. The 60th-ranked American reached the Tokyo quarterfinals and he stormed back from a break down in the third set to beat Bernard Tomic 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-4 on Monday. If Sock can serve well and thus dictate play, he could wear down an already ragged opponent.
Pick: Sock in 3
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