Japan Open 2024: Kei Nishikori vs Jordan Thompson preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (WC) Kei Nishikori vs Jordan Thompson
Date: 28 September 2024
Tournament: Japan Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $1,818,380
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky UK
Kei Nishikori vs Jordan Thompson preview
The second round of the 2024 Japan Open will see Jordan Thompson of Australia take on the former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori in the second round. Nishikori has won 6 matches of the 12 he played in 2024.
The former Grand Slam finalist has suffered from regular injuries in the last few years, which has seen him miss most of the Tour-level tennis and made his ranking plummet to 200. The Japanese player last played at the Chengdu Open, where he was defeated by the eventual champion Juncheng Shang in the first round.
Nishikori's best result of the year came on the hard courts of Montreal in the Canadian Open. The former World No. 4 beat the likes of Alex Michelsen, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nuno Borges to reach the quarterfinals, before losing to Matteo Arnaldi. At the Japan Open, he defeated the former World No. 3 Marin Cilic in three sets in the first round.
Despite being a more prolific doubles player, Thompson has had a decent year in singles so far this season, with a 32-21 record, winning his maiden title at the Los Cabos Open. He last played at the Davis Cup where he lost his tie to Pablo Carreno Busta.
Aside from the title at Los Cabos, the World No. 29 has done well on hard courts this year. The Australian player reached the final of the Atlanta Open, losing to Yoshihito Nishioka, and had a semi-final run at the Brisbane International, including a win over Rafael Nadal. He had a decent fourth-round run at the US Open, before losing to Alex de Minaur in four sets. At the Japan Open, he caused an upset as he defeated third seed Casper Ruud in straight sets in the first round.
Kei Nishikori vs Jordan Thompson head-to-head
Nishikori leads the head-to-head 2-1 against Thompson. Their most recent encounter came in the first round of the Atlanta Open, with the Japanese winning 7-6(5), 7-6(5).
Kei Nishikori vs Jordan Thompson odds
Odds sourced from BetMGM
Kei Nishikori vs Jordan Thompson prediction
At his peak, Nishikori excelled on hard courts. The Japanese player had a 67 percent win record on the surface, reaching 19 finals and winning 10 titles. His biggest career achievement came on the surface, reaching the 2014 US Open final, losing to Marin Cilic. The last hard-court title for Nishikori came back in 2019 when he won the Brisbane International, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Thompson has shown significant progress on the hard courts this year, reaching two finals, and capturing his maiden Tour-level title. The Australian has had three wins over Top-10 players so far in 2024, beating the likes of Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz, and Casper Ruud, all on hard courts.
Even though Nishikori has a 2-1 record against Thompson on hard courts, the current form gives the advantage to the Australian.
Pick- Jordan Thompson to win in three sets