An entertaining French Open third-round match-up awaits between world No.6 Kei Nishikori and former Australian Open semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco. Join The Roar for live scores from 9pm (AEST).
Nishikori was impressive in dismantling Andrey Kuznetsov in the second round, but Verdasco presents the Japanese star with his sternest test yet at Roland Garros.
Verdasco is enjoying a good start to his French Open campaign and is certainly good enough to push Nishikori all the way on clay.
When playing with confidence, Verdasco has with the skill of a man who should be ranked inside the top ten.
A strong serve, coupled with a tremendous, whipping forehand shot are the two main weapons in Verdasco’s arsenal, and if he finds his range early, Nishikori will be in a real battle.
Indeed, Verdasco owns a positive two-to-one record over the former US Open finalist, but his wins occurred in 2010 and 2012. Nishikori hit his stride in 2014 and he won the last match between the pair, last year at Indian Wells.
Overall, it would be a surprise if Verdasco doesn’t win a set or two against Nishikori tonight. The Spaniard is playing well enough to push a difficult opponent all the way in the third round.
However, Nishikori remains the more consistent player, and coupled with an extremely solid backhand, should produce enough quality to get the job done against a dangerous opponent.
Nishikori in four sets
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