Washington, D.C. R2 previews and predictions: Jodar vs. Nishikori, Musetti vs. Vukic

Popular veteran Kei Nishikori is in his last season on tour will play one of the tour’s hot teenaged stars in Rafael Jodar on Wednesday. The newly returned Lorenzo Musetti will also be in Washington, D.C. action against Aleksandar Vukic.

Rafael Jodar vs. (WC) Kei Nishikori

Rafael Jodar may have already been the best player in this section of the Mubadala DC Open draw when he beat eighth seed Arthur Fils in straight sets, and the 19-year-old keeps piling up hard-court results that were reserved for the top of the game a year ago. It’s his third win over a top-30 player on hard courts this season, and he pulled it off close to “home” — having spent his college year at UVA just a few hours down the road.

Kei Nishikori’s side of the story is the more emotional one. The 36-year-old needed a wild card to get into his farewell season stop in Washington and then white-knuckled through a three-set comeback over Jerry Shang that put him in rare company. Only 10 other players since 1990 have won a tour-level match in 20 straight seasons. Jodar has the momentum, younger legs, and at this point in his career he is all upside. Look for the Spaniard to make it through in a pair of tidy sets.

Cheryl pick: Jodar in 2

Ricky pick: Jodar in 2

Aleksandar Vukic vs. Lorenzo Musetti

Aleksandar Vukic is playing more confidently than he has in a good, long while. He is on a seven-match winning streak going back to a Challenger title in Granby, and he cruised through qualifying and his first main-draw match without much resistance on serve. Lorenzo Musetti is the more talented player, but he arrives with real questions. This is his first tournament since a fourth-round loss in Rome back in May. He skipped both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in between, and his opener this week against Matteo Arnaldi ended in a retirement after he bageled his injured countryman in the first set — so there is not much to take from that scoreline either way.

The Aussie is a deceptively dangerous opponent right now, especially with Musetti still trying to shake off months of rust. I can’t resist calling the upset.

Cheryl pick: Vukic in 3

Ricky pick: Musetti in 2

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