Australian Open preview and odds: Novak Djokovic vs Kei Nishikori
Published on: 25/01/2016
Australian Open preview and odds: Novak Djokovic vs Kei Nishikori
January 26 2016 19:00pm - Rod Laver Arena
Australian Open - Quarter-finals
Novak Djokovic came through an error-strewn fourth round match against Gilles Simon to keep his hopes of a sixth Australian Open crown alive, and must now face the challenge of Japans No. 1 tennis player, Kei Nishikori.
Off-beat Djokovic finds a way
Few people predicted that is would take Novak Djokovic five sets to see off the challenge of Frenchman Gilles Simon in Round 4 - but that is exactly what happened.
Although Simon played well, the game was marked by a huge number (100) of unforced errors from the Serbian champion. There were signs of this slight blip in form in the previous round, when he made a meal of beating World No. 28 Andre Seppi.
Despite some worrying pointers, it is far too early to write the World No. 1 off and he can be expected to iron out some of the creases appearing in his game as we approach the business end of the tournament.
Djokovic currently boasts a 5-2 record over Nishikori and has won the last four time meetings between the two.
Key stats from Djokovic`s fourth round match:
- First serve success: 62%
- Points won on first serve: 70%
- Points won on second serve: 55%
- Net points won: 68%
- Unforced errors: 100
- Returns won: 42%
- Break points won: 6 out of 25
First big test for Nishikori
Kei Nishikori has enjoyed a fairly comfortable run to the quarter-finals and has dropped just one set along the way. His all-round game has been excellent throughout the tournament, and his service and return stats back this up.
The World No. 7 might be playing Djokovic at just the right time, as the Serb has showed some signs of vulnerability in his last two games.
If his serving game is on point and he continues to return as well as he has during this event, he may just stand a chance of pushing the reigning champ all the way.
His last win over his rival came on a hard court, at the semi-final stage of the 2014 US Open.
Key stats from Nishikori`s fourth round match:
- First serve success: 60%
- Points won on first serve: 74%
- Points won on second serve: 64%
- Net points won: 71%
- Unforced errors: 25
- Returns won: 43%
- Break points won: 5 out of 12
Betting odds and tips
With Djokovic wobbling and Nishikori in sparkling form, a price of Evens for Over 3.5 sets from Bet365 looks like good value.
By Neil Morris
Published on: 25/01/2016
Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (25/01/2016 17:45:23) but are subject to change.
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