Marin Cilic vs Yoshihito Nishioka Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Hangzhou Open

Prediction published on 20/09/2024, 00:20  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 20/09/2024 at 00:23 in Tennis Predictions

Eighth seed Yoshihito Nishioka and the wildcard Marin Cilic will battle in the second round at the inaugural Hangzhou Open. This match scheduled for Saturday will be their second career meeting and we have a prediction.

Cilic battled through three sets to claim a first-round victory against Zachary Svajda. He mounted a comeback after losing the opening set and in the decider secured a 6-0 victory. The Croat, ravaged by injuries, is gradually getting to his best.

He has played just 10 matches this season, and claimed four wins. A former US Open champion, Cilic is a strong hard-court player, with close to 200 wins on the surface. He is currently placed 606th in the live ranking after making a massive 171-place leap.

The 35-year-old defeated Nishioka in their previous encounter six years ago at Wimbledon.

Yoshihito Nishioka was more decisive in the opening round, beating Maximilian Marterer in straight sets. That was his third successive win and his 27th of the season.

The Japanese number one arrived in Hangzhou having won both of his fixtures at the Davis Cup. Nishioka has registered most of his wins, 15, on hard courts. His run on that surface yielded his only title of the season when he triumphed in Atlanta to record his third tour success.

Nishioka has enjoyed playing in China over the years. One of his tour title wins was registered in Shenzhen and he also was a finalist in Zhuhai last year. After dropping four places in the live ranking, he is now placed 58th, having lost 125 ranking points.

The winner here will play top seed Holger Rune or the qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama next.