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Fixture: (PR) Kei Nishikori vs (Q) Juncheng Shang
Date: July 27, 2023
Tournament: Atlanta Open 2023
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Atlanta, USA
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $737,170
Live telecast: USA: Tennis Channel | UK: Amazon Prime | Australia: beIN Sports | Canada: TSN
Kei Nishikori vs Juncheng Shang preview
Kei Nishikori takes on Chinese qualifier Jincheng Shang to secure a place in the Atlanta Open quarterfinals.
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The 439th-ranked Nishikori - returning from a long injury layoff - won his first ATP match since October 2021 by beating Australia's Jordan Thompson in the first round. Although the win was in straight sets, it was hardly a straightforward affair.
On his return to competitive action last month, the 2014 US Open finalist won the Puerto Rico Challenger but faced a tough outing against Thompson. To his credit, Nishikori did well on serve - saving all four break points - as he won in two tiebreaks.
Following his 2-hour 25-minute victory at the Atlanta Open, an elated Nishikori was pleased with his level of play. He said:
“I played good, actually. I played a couple of Challengers before here, and I didn't play (for) almost two years. It was a pretty good level, I think. And yeah, I just keep playing my best and hope I can stay later this week.”
Meanwhile, World No. 156 Shang saw off sixth-seed Ben Shelton in straight sets to improve to 2-3 on the season. The 18-year-old Chinese dropped four games in each set as 2023 Australian Open quarterfinalist Shelton bit the dust.
Shang's first win on the ATP Tour came at this year at the Australian Open, where he made the second round.
Kei Nishikori vs Juncheng Shang head-to-head
The two players haven't locked horns before, so their head-to-head record is 0-0.
Kei Nishikori vs Juncheng Shang odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Kei Nishikori vs Juncheng Shang prediction
Both Nishikori and Shang are quintessential baseliners and have similar playing styles. Both players aren't the biggest servers on tour or powerful hitters, but move well.
Nishikori, though, takes the edge because of his superior experience, consistency and pedigree, especially on hardcourt, where he has a 286-138 record and ten titles. The left-handed Shang, by contrast, is only 2-4 on the surface - with both wins coming this year.
Nishikori hasn't played much competitive tennis in the last two years but should have enough in the tank to beat Shang.
Pick: Nishikori in straight sets.
