Tennis News

After successful performances in the opening round of the Qatar Exxon Mobil event, top seed Novak Djokovic and Sergiy Stakhovsky will cross paths for a fourth time on the professional tour. The Serbian star leads the head-to-head series 3-0 and will look to maintain that undefeated streak on Wednesday afternoon in Doha.

In his debut match in Doha, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated fellow countryman Dusan Lajovic in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 to reach the second round of the event. Known for usually not starting his season until the Australian Open, Djokovic looked sharp in his opening match, as he won 69% of his first service points and secured five breaks of serve to close out the contest in exactly 59 minutes.

With that win, Djokovic maintains a streak that extends from the semi-final round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters. He will look to keep that streak alive when he faces Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky, who also cruised through his match on Tuesday. The world No. 57 defeated local wildcard Mohammed Ali Mutawa 6-1, 6-1 to set up the contest with the Belgrade native. The match lasted a total of 46 minutes and saw the Ukranian win 80% of his first service points and save the two break points he faced on serve.

This marks fourth time that Djokovic and Stakhovsky will cross paths on the professional tour. Djokovic remains undefeated in the series, with wins dating as far back as the 2009 French Open. Their last meeting took place three years ago in Dubai but that is unlikely to affect the expected outcome.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

Following a less-than-stellar opening to his season at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, Chennai defending champion Stan Wawrinka will look to right his earlier wrongs with a solid showing in his tournament opener against rising star Borna Coric. This marks the first time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour and could be a remarkable opportunity for Coric to start his year with a massive upset of a Grand Slam champion.

At the Mubadala World Tennis Championships last week, Stan Wawrinka needed just 61 minutes to dispatch Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-2. It was a no-nonsense performance from the world No. 4, as he served with sublime accuracy and had no issues with his one-handed backhand on this occasion. However, faced with the task of fending off world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Wawrinka failed to win a single set and eventually lost the contest in straight sets. He would even lose the battle for third place against Rafael Nadal, who defeated him 7-6(1), 6-3 after his thrashing at the hands of Andy Murray the previous day.

Already in Chennai, 18-year-old Borna Coric began his season with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Robin Haase. It was a fantastic performance from the youngster in his debut that lasted a total of 66 minutes and sets him up for an entertaining second round encounter against Wawrinka. The Croatian is a formidable force, as he made a memorable impact on the tour when he upset Nadal at the Swiss Indoor Open before reaching the semi-final round of the event.

While this marks the first time that Wawrinka and Coric meet on the professional tour, it has the makings of an intriguing and competitive affair. Wawrinka is yet to find his top form ahead of his Australian Open title defense, while Coric is brimming with confidence and looking for an early upset to turn the tides in 2015.

Prediction: Borna Coric in Three Sets

Following a breakthrough year on the ATP World Tour, Kei Nishikori will look to carry that momentum forth into 2015 as he commences his season at the Brisbane International. The Japanese No. 1 will begin his tournament campaign against Steve Johnson, whom he has only encountered once previously on the professional circuit. Nishikori leads the head-to-head series 1-0.

After reaching the final of the US Open and finishing his season amongst the elite-eight at the World Tour Finals, Nishikori finally believes that he belongs amongst the upper echelon of the competitors on the ATP World Tour. Although he did not manage to win a Grand Slam in 2014, he hopes to duplicate his US Open efforts and also win a Masters 1000 title in the coming season.

“I had great preparation in Florida this off-season,” he said at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp on Tuesday. “I think the first couple of tournaments of the year are very important [in order] for me to gain a little more confidence.

“I want to do well in the Grand Slams, maybe get to a semi-final or a final if I can. Maybe win a [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 title. That’s the next goal for me.”

World No. 27 Steve Johnson began his season in Brisbane on Monday, where he defeated local favourite Marinko Matosevic 2-6, 7-6(0) 7-5 in a scrappy comeback effort. The American hit 14 aces and won 78% of his first service points to finish the contest on a high note. He also saved 4 crucial break points during the match.

This marks just the second time that Nishikori and Johnson will meet on the professional tour, with the Japanese No. 1 leading the head-to-head series 1-0. That lone encounter took place at Halle last season, which makes this their first ever hard court meeting. Given Nishikori’s success on this surface, he should have the advantage against Johnson on Wednesday.

Prediction: Kei Nishikori in Three Sets

After taking part in a turbulent year on the professional tour, where his results were as mixed as the expectations placed on his shoulders, Grigor Dimitrov will look to make the most of his potential in 2015. The Bulgarian star will begin his season in Brisbane, where he will face France’s Jeremy Chardy in the second round of the tournament. Having met twice previously on the tour, the pair split those matches and are left with a 1-1 head-to-head record going into their third ever professional meeting.

Currently ranked at world No. 11, Dimitrov is on the cusp of becoming a mainstay member of the upper echelon on the ATP World Tour. He complied a 50-18 record on the tour last season, including three titles and nearly $3million in prize money. He reached the semi-final of two Masters events (Rome, Canada) as well as the final four at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. After a poor showing at the Paris Bercy, he failed to qualify for a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals and rejected the offer to become an alternate in the draw.

France’s Jeremy Chardy began his season in Brsibane with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andrey Golubev of Kazahkstan. He needed just one break in each set to secure the victory and reach the second round of the tournament, where he will contest a battle against the No. 4 seed.

This marks the third time that Dimitrov and Chardy will meet on the tour, with the series tied at 1-1. Both their previous encounters took place at Grand Slam events, with Chardy winning on home soil at the 2013 French Open, while Dimtrov rebounded with a win at the Australian Open the following year. Given that the Bulgarian is better on hard courts, he should find his way into the quarter-final round of the tournament.

Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov in Three Sets