'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match details
Fixture: Kei Nishikori [JPN] vs Marcos Giron [USA]
Date: 27 July 2021
Tournament: Olympics 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan
Category: Olympic Games
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Live telecast: USA - NBC & Peacock TV | UK - BBC TV | India - SonyLiv
Kei Nishikori vs Marcos Giron preview
Local hero Kei Nishikori will face unseeded American Marcos Giron in the second round of the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.
Nishikori stunned fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the opening round on Sunday, proving he still has plenty of high-level tennis in him. The 31-year-old Japanese made a mockery of the 62 spots separating the two in the ATP rankings as he steamrolled the Russian en route to a straight-sets win.
Nishikori broke early in the match but failed to hold his own serve as Rublev leveled proceedings. However, the Japanese broke once again and drove home his advantage to take the opening set and seize control of the match.
Nishikori did not let up in the second set, breaking in the seventh game to complete a 6-3 6-4 win. The victory was the former World No. 4's first over a top-10 player since November 2018.
Nishikori's next opponent, Marcos Giron, came through a tough battle against Norbert Gombos in the opening round. The American won the opening set in a tiebreak and recovered from a second-set wobble to complete a 7-6(4) 3-6 6-2 win in a match that lasted over two hours.
Kei Nishikori vs Marcos Giron head-to-head
The Round of 32 match at the Tokyo Olympics will be the first career meeting between Kei Nishikori and Marcos Giron. Their head-to-head thus currently stands at 0-0.
Kei Nishikori vs Marcos Giron prediction
With his dominant beatdown of Andrey Rublev, Kei Nishikori proved he is not in Tokyo just to make up the numbers, but is in fact one of the contenders for a podium finish.
The 2014 US Open finalist rolled back the years with a vintage display of power-hitting against Rublev, blasting 20 winners past the hapless Russian. Nishikori will look to produce more of the same in his next match against Giron.
The American, on his part, will need his serve and forehand, his two biggest weapons, to do a lot of the heavy lifting against Nishikori. But if Nishikori shows a semblance of the form he did against Rublev, Giron will not pose much of a threat.
Prediction: Kei Nishikori to win in straight sets
