Australian Open 2019, Quarterfinals: Djokovic vs Nishikori, Raonic vs Pouille - Preview and Prediction

Novak Djokovic overcame a stern test in the fourth round when he beat NextGen star Daniil Medvedev in four sets. The Serb took a nasty tumble and appeared to hurt his ankle during the course of that match, but dismissed fears of any injury.

He did look in some physical discomfort but that is probably due to fatigue during the last few moments of the match which Djokovic himself said after a physical battle against the powerful Russian.

The World No.1 plays Kei Nishikori (the King of the five-setters), who came from two sets down to beat Pablo Carreno Busta in a thrilling five-set match. That victory was overshadowed by one highly contentious moment in the fifth set tiebreak which ultimately led to Carreno Busta apologizing in the aftermath for his behavior on the court.

The other quarterfinal on Wednesday will be contested by Milos Raonic and Frenchman Lucas Pouille. Raonic has been a man on a mission at this tournament in which he eliminated Nick Kyrgios, Stan Wawrinka and Alexander Zverev en route to the last eight. His opponent Lucas Pouille made a statement of his own with a very impressive four set win over Croatia’s Borna Coric.

Novak Djokovic vs Kei Nishikori

Head-to-head: Djokovic 15-2 Nishikori

Last meeting: US Open 2018 (Djokovic won 6-3 6-4 6-2)

This has been one of the most one-sided match-ups in tennis for the last few years. Given Nishikori’s clever baseline game you would perhaps expect the head-to-head to be a little bit more respectable. But Djokovic at his best is the equivalent of a willow tree, you cannot break him.

The Serb though has not been at his vintage best this year where he would put away his opponents with little fuss. This could be an opening for Nishikori who may sense blood in an effort to claim only his third career victory over Djokovic and his first since that memorable US Open semifinal in 2014.

At this stage of in a tournament of this magnitude, an important factor like overall time spent on the court is vital. We saw Kei Nishikori in that run to US Open 2014 final, where he played a five-set match in the quarters and a physically draining four-set match in the semis.

He was completely spent by the time he set foot to play the final. I think Nishikori has plotted his own downfall again. You would not want to go into a match against Djokovic feeling fatigued. This could end very quickly.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets

Lucas Pouille vs Milos Raonic

Head-to-head: Pouille 0-3 Raonic

Last meeting: 2018 Mercedes Cup (Raonic won 6-4 7-6)

Milos Raonic has been a true darkhorse at this tournament. The number of quality opponents he has taken out already is very impressive especially if you consider his horror year in 2018. Lucas Pouille has had a less difficult route to the quarter-finals but he has been taken the distance by Alexei Popyrin in one of his four matches, which is cause for concern.

If Raonic maintains his incredible first serve, which he has averaged at least 80% of points won, then Pouille will find it very difficult to conjure break point chances and would need a tiebreak almost every set. The Frenchman is a very underrated server. He won 83% of first serve points against Borna Coric, a player who is better baseliner than Raonic.

I think we could see at least two tiebreaks in this match and Pouille would need to be decisive. Raonic has been on form and is definitely favorite for this match, but I think Pouille has a real chance here if does keep up with the Canadian holding serve.

Prediction: Lucas Pouille to win in four sets