Tsitsipas, Nishikori Set Third-Round Clash
Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his strong run of form on Saturday to beat Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-4 at the Miami Open presented by Itau.
The World No. 5 entered the match with one win from four ATP Head2Head clashes against Dzumhur, but he landed 18 winners and served with confidence to advance after 68 minutes. Tsitsipas was making his first appearance since his runner-up finish at last week’s Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
“It was a great match, especially against a guy that I probably don’t have a good record playing against in the past,” said Tsitsipas. “I started the match very strong, breaking him twice and taking a big lead in the score, and I think the things worked out by themselves after that.”
[WATCH LIVE 1]Tsitsipas is the third player to reach 15 wins this season (15-4). The Greek joins Russian duo Andrey Rublev (16-3) and Daniil Medvedev (15-2) in the exclusive club.
Tsitsipas showcased his court coverage skills and dictated rallies with his forehand throughout the second-round match. The second seed, who hit 10 of his 18 winners on his forehand side, rushed his opponent and committed just nine unforced errors.
The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion will face Kei Nishikori in the third round. Nishikori needed two hours and 50 minutes to overcome Aljaz Bedene 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4.
This is Nishikori’s second win in as many weeks against Bedene. The Japanese also beat the Slovenian 6-4, 6-4 at last week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Tsitsipas will attempt to claim his first win against the Nishikori. The former World No. 4 won the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head encounter on home soil at the 2018 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.
“[Kei is] a player that has played very well in the past, and even now he can raise his level really high,” said Tsitsipas. “I’ll try and be ready for the battle. It’s important for me to have matches against strong opponents like him.
“I am very pumped for the match and I’m going to try and put my best performance out there. I’m going to try and take it game by game… It’s a strong third round, I won’t hide it. It’s important for me to be ready for that match and be physically prepared.”