Andrey Rublev will take on Yoshihito Nishioka as Russia plays Japan on Day 2 of the ATP Cup on Wednesday, February 3, likely to begin at around 7 pm local time (8:30 am BST or 2.30 am Eastern Time). Get the live streaming options of this Andrey Rublev v Yoshihito Nishioka match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Andrey Rublev v Yoshihito Nishioka Head to Head
In their only previous meeting in Sydney in 2019, Nishioka didn’t have much trouble in dispatching Rublev. The Japanese won the Round of 16 clash 6-3, 6-1.
Also Read:
Rublev Decimates Pella on Day 1
In-form Andrey Rublev seems to have carried last year’s form to Melbourne as he needed just an hour to beat Argentina’s Guido Pella in the first rubber to give Russia a 1-0 lead.
In what was a clinical performance by the Russian, Rublev won 81 percent of his first serve points and converted four of six break points to win the contest 6-1, 6-2.
If there is one man who would want to carry the year 2020 with him everywhere then it’s Rublev. The World No. 8 began the season with back-to-back titles in Doha and Adelaide and added three more at the backend, winning in Hamburg, St. Petersburg and Vienna (all ATP 500).
In the majors, the 23-year-old reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open for the second time in his career, before being beaten by fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. He also advanced to his maiden quarterfinal at the French Open, but was ousted by Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Rublev also achieved his best result at the Australian Open, reaching the Round of 16 for the first time before falling to Alexander Zverev.
Quite extraordinarily, Rublev ended the pandemic-affected year with a 41-10 record and five titles.
A winner of seven ATP titles, Rublev has taken a few gigantic steps over the last couple of years, thanks to his remarkable consistency. And while he climbed up the rankings he did notch a few big wins, none bigger than the one over World No. 3 Roger Federer in Cincinnati in 2019. Rublev handed Federer his fastest defeat since 2003, winning the third-round contest in an hour and two minutes.
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Nishioka Will Hope for a 2020-like Start
Facing Rublev in the opening rubber will be World No. 57 Yoshihito Nishioka, who is coming off a decent year.
The 25-year-old left-hander reached the final at Delray Beach and the quarterfinal in Cologne to end the 2020 season 14-12.
He also participated in the inaugural edition of the ATP Cup last year, winning his first two matches against Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas (6-0, 6-1) and Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili (6-2, 6-3), but lost to Rafa Nadal in the tie against Spain.
Japan had beaten Uruguay 3-0 and Georgia 2-1, but lost 0-3 against Spain to finish second in the group and bow out of the round robin stage.
In 2018, Nishioka had won his maiden ATP title in Shenzhen. He will be looking to start his ATP Cup campaign exactly the way he started it last time around.
Rublev v Nishioka Prediction and Tip
Rublev is in red-hot form, continuing from where he left off last season. Expect him to see off Nishioka’s challenge.
Tip: Rublev to win in straight sets: 2/7 (bet365)
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The 2021 ATP Cup will be played from February 2 to 6. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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