Quarterfinal spots in Sydney will be handed out on Wednesday, and Andy Murray is among those in search of one. Murray is going up against No. 2 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, while Fabio Fognini is facing Brandon Nakashima.
(WC) Andy Murray vs. (2) Nikoloz Basilashvili
At 34 years old and multiple hip surgeries into his career, Murray is still going relatively strong. Sure he is outside the top 100 at the moment, but the situation is a lot more favorable than it was when the Scot announced his probable retirement from tennis on this date three years ago. He is playing at a much better than world No. 135 level, too. Murray compiled a winning record on the main tour last season and he kicked off his Sydney Tennis Classic campaign on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-1 rout of Viktor Durasovic.
Up next for the three-time Grand Slam champion on Wednesday is a second career contest against Basilashvili, who earned a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed. Their only previous encounter came last summer at Wimbledon, where Murray prevailed 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. Basilashvili is coming off a disappointing 0-2 effort at the ATP Cup, where he got blown out by Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-2 and then retired against Stefanos Tsitsipas. All signs point to Murray rolling through this match.
Pick: Murray in 2
(7) Fabio Fognini vs. Brandon Nakashima
Fognini and Nakashima will also be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Wednesday. They previously squared off this past fall in San Diego, where Nakashima treated the home crowd to a 6-7(5), 6-1, 7-5 victory.
The 20-year-old American is hoping to build on a breakout 2021 campaign that has him up to No. 68 in the world. So far, so good: Nakashima opened on Tuesday with a 7-6(2), 7-6(0) defeat of Jiri Vesely. Fognini may be rusty, as he did not play at the ATP Cup before easing past lucky loser Daniel Altmaier on Tuesday (the Italian was supposed to play Nick Kyrgios). Look for Nakashima to get the best of Fognini once again.
Pick: Nakashima in 3
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