Quarterfinal spots will be at stake when second-round action resumes in Tokyo on Thursday, with seeds Borna Coric and Dan Evans on the schedule. Coric is going up against Brandon Nakashima, while Evans awaits Miomir Kecmanovic.
Brandon Nakashima vs. (9) Borna Coric
Regardless of what Coric does down the stretch in 2022, it will go down as an impressive comeback season for him. Even though the 25-year-old Croat was won only 14 main-tour matches, he registers at 28th in the rankings thanks mostly to a shocking run to the Cincinnati Masters title. Coric lost to Jenson Brooksby in round two of the U.S. Open but then went 2-1 in Davis Cup (beat Mikael Ymer and Francisco Cerundolo, lost to Matteo Berrettini) and defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 7-6(4) in the Japan Open first round. Overall, this a slew of impressive results for a player who missed basically an entire year with a shoulder injury.
Up next for Coric on Thursday is a second-round date with Nakashima, who has been in solid form all season long. The world No. 47 is especially hot right now, as he is coming off his first-ever ATP title at his home event in San Diego. Nakashima maintained momentum with a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Shintaro Mochizuki on Monday. The 21-year-old’s summer included a fourth-round performance at Wimbledon and quarterfinal showings in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Atlanta, and Los Cabos, so his hot streak dates back several months. This should be a good one, but the backhand advantage that Coric has over almost everyone is negated by Nakashima. Look for the red-hot American to battle into the quarters.
Pick: Nakashima in 3
Miomir Kecmanovic vs. (8) Dan Evans
Evans and Kecmanovic will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2021 French Open, where Kecmanovic prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Looking at the original Tokyo draw, however, Evans will be absolutely thrilled to face the Serb again. After all, Evans was awaiting the winner between Kecmanovic and Yoshihito Nishioka–and Nishioka is the last person the Brit wants to play. Nishioka extended his dominance in that matchup to 6-0 all time with an opening-round victory last week in Seoul on his way to the title.
Still, it’s not like Kecmanovic is an easy opponent. The world No. 33 is 33-22 this season and following a brief slump his 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-2 win over Nishioka on Wednesday should have his confidence restored. Evans also had to work hard in his opener, overcoming Radu Albot 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-4. Kecmanovic has handled Evans’ interesting game style in the past and he should be able to do it again, but this will likely be a competitive, high-quality contest.
Pick: Kecmanovic in 3
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