Nishikori’s Australian Open Odyssey Begins: Can He Outmaneuver Dellavedova in Thrilling Opener
Kei Nishikori Faces Qualifying Winner M. Dellavedova in AON Open Challenger First Round
World No. 222 Kei Nishikori is set to face qualifying winner M. Dellavedova (Australia) in the first round of the AON Open Challenger (Italy/Genova, clay, ATP Challenger) men’s tennis tournament.
This marks the first meeting between the two players. Nishikori, 34, formerly ranked No. 4 in the world, has been in good form lately, winning three matches at the National Bank Open (Montreal, Canada, hard, ATP 1000) last month and reaching the quarterfinals of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in about five years and three months.
Nishikori also participated in the Como Challenger (Como, Italy, clay, ATP Challenger) last week, showing sharp play in the first and second rounds before withdrawing from the quarterfinals due to a shoulder injury. Despite concerns about his shoulder, Nishikori is eager to compete in the Challenger tournament for the second week in a row.
Dellavedova, a 24-year-old right-handed Australian player, is currently ranked 386th in the world. Although he has won two ITF tournaments, he has yet to win a single match in the main draw of a Challenger tournament, losing all ten of his matches. He has also yet to compete in the main draw of a tour tournament.
The winner of this match will face either seventh seed JP Valillas (Peru) or wildcard player G. Cadenasso (Italy), ranked 577th in the world, in the second round.
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