Getty Photos
Will probably be a pair of battles of the strolling wounded on the Australian Open on Wednesday: Tommy Paul vs. Kei Nishikori and Jack Draper vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis. Spots within the third spherical of the season’s first main are up for grabs.
Kei Nishikori vs. (12) Tommy Paul
Each Paul and Nishikori survived five-set thrillers in spherical one of many Australian Open and their reward is only a second head-to-head assembly on Wednesday–their first in additional than seven years. They beforehand confronted one another on the 2017 Washington, D.C. occasion, the place Nishikori survived a 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 thriller after trailing 6-3, 5-3 and saving three match factors.
Nishikori was additionally as much as his match-point saving methods on Sunday, when fought off two within the third set earlier than storming again to stun Thiago Monteiro 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3. Paul took a a lot completely different path to the winners’ circle. Dealing with Christopher O’Connell, the Twelfth-ranked American was one recreation from victory at 5-3 within the fourth and three factors from the end line at 4-1 within the ensuing tiebreaker. He ended up requiring precisely 4 hours to prevail 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-5. Paul wanted remedy for a left-shoulder problem, whereas the oft-injured Nishikori was clearly working on fumes towards Monteiro. At 27 years previous in comparison with his opponent’s 35, Paul has a greater probability from a bodily standpoint to bounce again.
(15) Jack Draper vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis
That is one other intriguing matchup on paper that sadly additionally has an actual probability to finish in retirement. Draper withdrew from the United Cup as a result of a hip damage and was clearly lower than 100% throughout a 4-6 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Mariano Navone on Monday. Kokkinakis (hip) pulled out of final week’s Adelaide event previous to the quarterfinals and barely willed himself over the road in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(5) first-round defeat of Roman Safiullin.
