Tokyo R1 previews and picks: Nishikori vs. Coric, Dolgopolov vs. Querrey

Kei Nishikori will begin his Tokyo title defense on Monday against Borna Coric. First-round action also features Alexandr Dolgopolov and Sam Querrey.

Borna Coric vs. (2) Kei Nishikori

Since winning two of his first six matches at the Japan Open, Nishikori has treated the crowd to a stellar run at this event. The world No. 6 is is 12-1 in his last 13 outings with two of the last three titles. Nishikori’s only loss during this stretch is a quarterfinal setback against Nicolas Almagro via a 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-3 decision in 2013. The second seed is 48-11 for his 2015 campaign and almost certainly on the way back to the World Tour Finals. Nishikori bounced back from a first-round loss at the U.S. Open to Benoit Paire with a pair of straight-set victories over Colombia in the Davis Cup World Group playoffs.

Coric, who has never faced Nishikori, also helped his country to return to the 2016 World Group. The Croat went on the road to Brazil and got the best of both Joao Souza and Thomaz Bellucci. At just 18 years old, Coric owns 24 ATP-level wins this season and he registers at 38th in the world. This setting, though, is entirely in favor of Nishikori. He is playing at home in Japan and Coric had to go back to clay for Davis Cup action in between the U.S. Open and this tournament in Tokyo.

Pick: Nishikori in 2

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Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Sam Querrey

Dolgopolov and Querrey will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers and for the second time this season on Monday. The head-to-head series stands at 2-2 after Querrey once trailed 2-0. Following a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(3) win in the 2012 Winston-Salem quarterfinals, the American prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on the grass courts of Nottingham this summer. Dolgopolov’s victories came in straight sets in 2011 (Sydney) and 2012 (Washington, D.C.) and he leads Querrey 2-1 on hard courts.

Both players could use some momentum to begin their stretch run of 2015. Dolgopolov came within two points of upsetting Novak Djokovic in the Cincinnati semifinals but collapsed and perhaps still has not recovered. The 35th-ranked Ukrainian lost his opener in Winston-Salem and retired in round one of the U.S. Open. Querrey has lost three matches in a row, meaning he has not found the win column since taking advantage of an injured John Isner in the Cincinnati first round. The world No. 46 is a disappointing 19-21 on the year. Dolgopolov will out-hit his opponent from the baseline so unless Querrey serves incredibly and keeps points short, his relative slump is likely to continue.

Pick: Dolgopolov in 3

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