Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Geneva match.
Karen Khachanov and Kei Nishikori have been on the professional circuit long enough that their first meeting dates back to 2016. On that occasion, a youthful Khachanov was beaten by the more experienced Nishikori. In total, Nishikori leads their head-to-head with five wins to two.
Karen Khachanov
The age advantage has now shifted in favour of Karen Khachanov. Approaching his 29th birthday tomorrow, he is in peak physical condition and will be eager to mark the occasion with a victory. As one of the top four seeds, Karen Khachanov received a bye into the second round in Geneva, which already puts him in a more favourable position than Kei Nishikori.
Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori, by contrast, had to battle through a demanding opening match against Learner Tien. The American's resilience forced Kei Nishikori to spend over two hours on court, eventually edging the contest 4:6, 6:4, 6:4. At 35, such physical exertion is clearly taking a toll. A similar three-set struggle in the first round at Indian Wells against Jaume Munar (6:2, 5:7, 7:6) was followed by a straight-sets defeat to world No. 19 Ugo Humbert (4:6, 3:6) — who, notably, had also benefited from a first-round bye.
Karen Khachanov vs Kei Nishikori Prediction
Currently ranked 24th in the world, Karen Khachanov is on a similar level to Ugo Humbert. His recent form is encouraging — in the fourth round of the Rome Masters, he pushed eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to three sets (3:6, 6:3, 5:7) in a gripping contest that lasted two and a half hours. While the head-to-head record favours Kei Nishikori, the expectation is for Karen Khachanov to come through this time with a small handicap advantage.
