Juan Martin Del Potro and defending champ Kei Nishikori will continue their Tokyo campaigns on Friday. They are set for respective quarterfinal encounters with Alexandr Dolgopolov and Nicolas Almagro.
(1) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov
Dolgopolov and and Del Potro will be doing battle for the fifth time in their careers and for the second time this season when they meet in the quarterfinals of the Rakuten Japan Open on Friday. Del Potro has won all four of their previous matches, two on hard courts and two on clay. They faced each other a few months ago on the red dirt of Monte-Carlo, where Del Potro recovered from a slow start to prevail 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The seventh-ranked Argentine has had some more injury issues in 2013, but some time off after a second-round U.S. Open loss to Lleyton Hewitt may do him some good. Del Potro beat Marcos Baghdatis in three sets on Monday before crushing Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-2. Dolgopolov earned his place in the last eight with straight-set scalps of Daniel Brands and Janko Tipsarevic. The 39th-ranked Ukrainian is still a modest 22-22 for the year. Del Potro has to feel good about his second-round performance and he should once again have too much power for Dolgopolov.
Pick: Del Potro in 2
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(4) Kei Nishikori vs. (6) Nicolas Almagro
Nishikori lost in the Tokyo first round in three of his first four appearances, but he went all the way to the title last year. Japan’s top player is finally feeling comfortable at home and is back in business at the 2013 event. He booked his quarterfinal spot thanks to wins over Jurgen Melzer and Feliciano Lopez. Nishikori is 31-15 for the season, which includes a 500-point title in Memphis.
Up next for the world No. 13 is a second-ever meeting with Almagro. Their only previous collision came two years ago on the indoor hard courts of Kuala Lumpur, where Nishikori advanced to the semis with a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 victory. Almagro owns a 34-19 record this year following Tokyo wins at the expense of Benjamin Becker and Horacio Zeballos. The 17th-ranked Spaniard had lost five matches in a row prior to this week. With home-court advantage to go along with his opponent’s relative slump, Nishikori should have the edge.
Pick: Nishikori in 2
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