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Fixture: (4) Jannik Sinner vs (16) Yoshihito Nishioka
Tournament: Barcelona Open 2023
Date: Thursday, April 20
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, Spain
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €2,772,480
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka preview
Fourth seed Jannik Sinner takes on 16th seed Yoshihito Nishioka for a place in the Barcelona Open quarterfinals on Thursday.
The World No. 8 improved to 25-6 on the season with a straight-sets win over Diego Schwartzman. Sinner has been the epitome of consistency this season, reaching his third straight Masters 1000 semifinal at the Monte-Carlo Masters last week.
The 21-year-old made the Adelaide 1 quarterfinals and Australian Open fourth round at the start of the season. Sinner won his first title of the year at Montpellier before losing to Daniil Medvedev in the Rotterdam final.
Following an early exit in Marseille, the Italian lost to the eventual champion at his next two stops - Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semifinals and Medvedev in Miami final. Sinner then reached the last four at the Principality, where he went down to Holger Rune. He has a 4-1 record in Barcelona, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2021 semifinal.
Meanwhile, World No. 35 Nishioka rose to 9-6 in 2023 after seeing off David Goffin in his opener. The win over Goffin ended the 27-year-old's four-match losing streak (Delray Beach, Acapulco, Indian Wells, Miami).
Nishioka made a bright start to the season, reaching the Adelaide 1 semifinals and the second week at the Australian Open before his form tailed off. Nishioka is 1-1 at Barcelona, having lost in the first round in 2019.
Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka head-to-head
The pair haven't met before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Jannik Sinner vs Yoshihito Nishioka prediction
Both Sinner and Nishioka are quintessential baseliners, but the similarities in their game styles end there.
Sinner is widely regarded as one of the most talented young players in the sport and has an effective all-court game. He serves big, hits powerfully off either flank and is an elite mover. The diminutive Nishioka, by contrast, is a counterpuncher and has more modest attributes.
The Italian is also the more experienced player on clay, winning 39 of his 57 matches, while Nishioka is only 11-19. Sinner is coming off a rather patchy win against Schwartzman. He was broken thrice in the second set but broke his opponent four times to seal the win. Expect the Italian to win this first-time matchup.
Pick: Sinner in straight sets
