Tokyo QF previews and predictions: Nishikori vs. Tsitsipas, Anderson vs. Gasquet

All four seeds in the bottom half of this week’s Tokyo draw have advanced to the quarterfinals. The result is Friday showdowns featuring Kevin Anderson, Kei Nishikori, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Richard Gasquet.

(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (3) Kei Nishikori

Nishikori is 20-7 lifetime at his home tournament with two titles as he heads into Japan Open quarterfinal action on Friday. A third triumph would go a long way toward putting the world No. 12 into serious Nitto ATP Finals contention. Nishikori’s effort is off to a strong start, as he has advanced this week with straight-set victories over Yuichi Sugita and Benoit Paire.

Up next for the fifth seed is a first-ever match against Tsitsipas, who punched his ticket to the last eight by beating Taro Daniel (6-1, 6-3) and Alex de Minaur (6-3, 5-7, 6-1). The 20-year-old Greek has soared to 15th in the rankings, putting himself in distant Nitto ATP Finals contention but most likely destined for an appearance at Milan’s NextGen event. With Tsitsipas not quite as on fire as he was this summer and Nishikori enjoying home-court advantage, the crowd will likely get what it wants to see on Friday.

Pick: Nishikori in 3

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(8) Richard Gasquet vs. (2) Kevin Anderson

Anderson and Gasquet will be facing each other for the 11th time in their careers in the Tokyo quarterfinals. The head-to-head series stands at 6-4 in favor of Gasquet, but Anderson is 4-3 in their last seven encounters dating back to the start of 2012. They squared off twice during the 2017 campaign, with Anderson prevailing 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4) on the red clay of Estoril before Gasquet picked up a 6-4, 6-4 grass-court victory in Eastbourne.

This Asian swing marks the home stretch of what has been an outstanding season for Anderson, who is sporting a 38-14 record that is highlighted by a runner-up showing at Wimbledon. The ninth-ranked South African, who reached round four at the U.S. Open, has advanced in Tokyo with three-set defeats of Matthew Ebden and Frances Tiafoe. Gasquet booked his spot in the quarters by ousting Denis Kudla and Nick Kyrgios in straight sets, taking three of the four sets in tiebreakers. The 25th-ranked Frenchman had been just 4-5 in his last nine matches prior to arriving in Tokyo. A clear edge in current form goes to Anderson, who has already been battle-tested this week and has still managed to find the winners’ circle in style.

Pick: Anderson in 3

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