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1/11/09 3:31 PM | Ricky Dimon
Action in both the qualifying and the main draw will take place on Monday at the Heineken Open. Kei Nishikori and Juan Carlos Ferrero will compete in the marquee matchup of the day.
Kei Nishikori and Juan Carlos will do battle in a first-round match that should steal all of the headlines on Day 1 at Auckland, New Zealand's Heineken Open. It will be the first career meeting between the two players, who are clearly at different stages of their tennis lives.
Nishikori just turned 19 during the off-season and he is coming off a meteoric rise in 2008. The Japanese youngster is all the way up to No. 61 in the world, especially thanks to two performances last season. Nishikori had to qualify for the ATP event in Delray Beach last February and not only did he do that, but he also went on to win the whole thing. At the U.S. Open, he upset David Ferrer en route to a fourth-round appearance.
Ferrero is nine years Nishikori's elder, and although he is on the downside of his career, he is still ranked 52nd in the world. The former world No. 1 and French Open champion has battled through various injuries recently, but he can still be dangerous when healthy. Ferrero even upset fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal on clay last year.
Nishikori has a few things going in his favor for this encounter. First, it's on hard courts, and Ferrero--despite being the 2003 U.S. Open runner-up and having posted to quarterfinal results indoors last fall--prefers clay. Second, Nishikori reached the Brisbane quarterfinals last week so he already has three matches under his belt this year. Ferrero has only played one match, losing to Florent Serra in straight sets in the first round of Brisbane. With youth on his side and in better form than his opponent, Nishikori should be able to pull this one out in two competitive sets.
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