Citi DC Open 2023: Kei Nishikori vs Lloyd Harris preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: Kei Nishikori vs Lloyd Harris

Tournament: Citi DC Open 2023

Round: First Round (Round of 64)

Date: July 31, 2023

Venue: Washington DC, USA

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Hardcourt

Prize money: $2,013,940

Live telecast: USA: Tennis Channel | UK: Amazon Prime | Australia: beIN Sports | Canada: TSN

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Kei Nishikori vs Lloyd Harris preview

Nishikori will play his second ATP tournament of the season in DC.

Wildcard Kei Nishikori takes on unseeded South African Lloyd Harris in the first round of the 2023 City DC Open on Monday, July 31.

World No. 439 Nishikori played his first ATP tournament of the season at the Atlanta Open, where he won two matches before losing to top seed Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals.

The 33-year-old was solid on serve in the opening set before surrendering it in the tenth game, which also happened to be the last of the set, as Fritz drew first blood. Nishikori took a medical timeout in the second set. Hindered by a left knee issue, the 2014 US Open finalist won only two games as he went down in 73 minutes.

Despite the defeat, Nishikori is expected to rise 90 places, to 349th, in the rankings. The Japanese player has an 18-7 record in DC, winning the title in 2015 and making the semifinals in his last appearance in 2021.

Meanwhile, the 204th-ranked Harris made the second round at the Atlanta Open last week after coming through the qualifiers. After beating James Duckworth in his opener, the 26-year-old lost to seventh seed Ugo Humbert in the next round.

A tight opening set went to a tiebreak, which Humbert clinched before dropping four games in the second to condemn Harris to his seventh defeat in 12 matches in 2023. The South African has a 3-2 record in DC.

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Kei Nishikori vs Lloyd Harris head-to-head

Nishikori has split his two meetings with Harris, beating him in the 2021 Citi Open quarterfinals and losing to him in the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships quarterfinals. This will be their third hardcourt meeting.

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Kei Nishikori vs Lloyd Harris odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Kei Nishikori
Lloyd Harris

The odds will be updated when they release.

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Kei Nishikori vs Lloyd Harris prediction

Harris takes on Nishikori in the first round.

Both Nishikori and Harris are quintessentially baseliners, but the similarities in their game styles end there.

Nishikori is a counterpuncher, while Harris is a big server and powerful hitter of the ball, but both players move well. However, the Japanese takes the edge because of his superior experience, consistency, and pedigree, especially on hardcourt, where he has a 287-139 record and ten titles, while Harris is 61-48 on the surface.

However, Nishikori is coming off a long injury layoff and hasn't played much competitive tennis recently. Provided the knee issues that troubled him in Atlanta aren't too serious, the Japanese should win this one.

Pick: Nishikori in straight sets