Seeds Borna Coric and Alex de Minaur will kick off their Tokyo campaign as first-round action continues on Tuesday. Coric could have a tough one on his hands against Thanasi Kokkinakis, while de Minaur is facing Soonwoo Kwon.
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs. (9) Borna Coric
Coric and Kokkinakis will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Rakuten Japan Open on Tuesday afternoon. Although Coric has won just 13 main-tour matches in 2022, he finds himself inside the top 30 at No. 28 in the world thanks almost entirely to an improbable title at the Cincinnati Masters. The 25-year-old Croat lost in the second round of the U.S. Open to Jenson Brooksby before going 2-1 in Davis Cup (beat Mikael Ymer and Francisco Cerundolo, lost to Matteo Berrettini in three sets).
Kokkinakis started the season on fire at home in Australia but has since cooled off in a big way. The world No. 91 is 5-9 in his last 14 matches (Challenger level and qualifying included) dating back to Geneva in May. Kokkinakis isn’t playing terrible and if he serves well he could be competitive, but Coric will likely break him down from the back of the court in the end.
Pick: Coric in 3
Soonwoo Kwon vs. (6) Alex de Minaur
De Minaur is ranked 23rd and that is where he sits in the race to Turin, as well, but it doesn’t take a whole lot of points to contend for one of the last two Nitto ATP Finals spots, so he would have a chance if he wins the Tokyo title. The Aussie is a stellar 40-20 this season with a title in Atlanta. Since reaching the third round of the U.S. Open, de Minaur is 3-0 with Davis Cup victories over David Goffin and Benjamin Bonzi plus a Laver Cup defeat of Andy Murray.
Up first for the sixth seed on Tuesday is Kwon, who lost their only previous encounter 6-3, 7-6(2) last summer on the grass courts of Eastbourne. The 20th-ranked South Korean is just 17-23 at the ATP level in 2022 and has not advanced past the second round of a tournament this entire year. Kwon upset Felix Auger-Aliassime during Davis Cup action last month, but prior to that he had not defeated anyone ranked better than 45th since January. This should be a straightforward day at the office for de Minaur.
Pick: De Minaur in 2
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