China Open 2023: Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (6) Jannik Sinner vs (SE) Yoshihito Nishioka

Date: October 1, 2023

Tournament: China Open 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $3,633,875

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime | Canada - TSN

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Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka preview

Jannik Sinner at the 2023 China Open.

Sixth seed Jannik Sinner will duke it out with Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round of the 2023 China Open on Sunday.

Sinner's quest for a title in Beijing commenced against Dan Evans. The young Italian played a neat first set as a single break of serve in the fifth game swung the set in his favor.

Sinner jumped to a 3-1 lead in the second set, but couldn't hold on to it and eventually lost the set in the tie-break. This was in part due to a tumble that he took during the set.

Despite not being at his best by now, Sinner started the third set by securing a 3-0 headstart for himself. Evans fought back to level the score, but the 22-year old bagged the next three games to win the match 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3.

Nishioka, meanwhile, took on Shang Juncheng in his opener. The former fumbled a 5-3 advantage in the first set as his opponent swept the next four games to claim the set.

Nishioka overcame an early deficit in the second set to initially level the score and then to take a 5-3 lead. However, he stumbled while trying to close out the set as Shang got back on level terms.

Nishioka then broke his younger opponent's serve in the 12th game to clinch the set. The third set was a total blowout as the Japanese dropped just one game in it to complete a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 comeback victory.

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Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka head-to-head

Sinner leads Nishioka 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 Barcelona Open in three sets.

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Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Jannik Sinner	-800	+1.5 (-3000)	Over 19.5 (-130)
Yoshihito Nishioka	+500	-1.5 (+825)	Under 19.5 (-110)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka prediction

Yoshihito Nishioka at the 2023 China Open.

Sinner survived a tough challenge from Evans and his own physical issues to reach the second round. He rained down 11 aces and won 67% of his first serve points. The Italian also struck 39 winners, which were thrice the number of errors that he committed.

Nishioka wrapped up his comeback win against Shang on a strong note as well. He could've done the job in straight sets, but let the first set slip out of his grasp. He certainly can't afford any such slip-ups against a player like Sinner.

Nishioka's game isn't too flashy, but he knows how to hustle. However, Sinner is the better ballstriker between the two. His clean hitting is likely to push the 28-year old way behind the baseline, a position from where he finds it tough to dominate.

Much also depends on how Sinner is feeling physically after taking a fall in the previous round. If he's not too banged up, he should be able to handle Nishioka to move past him.

Pick: Jannik Sinner to win in three sets.