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8/15/11 4:42 AM | Ricky Dimon
A tough first-round matchup in Cincinnati on Monday features David Nalbandian and Kei Nishikori. The two competitors are battling for the right to go up against Andy Murray.
When healthy, David Nalbandian and Kei Nishikori would be better-suited for a meeting much later in a Masters event. However, both have been plagued by injuries and are unseeded at the Rogers Cup. The result is a first-round clash on Monday, which will be the first career encounter between the two players.
Nishikori, once beset by a bad elbow, has actually enjoyed a clean bill of health in 2011. His record shows it, as he heads into Cincinnati with a 21-14 record for the year. The 52nd-ranked Japanese sensation reached the semifinals in Eastbourne during the spring grass-court season, but he had not played a since Davis Cup action last month.
Nalbandian has been dealing with all kinds of physical problems and he has played a total of 21 matches this year. The 66th-ranked Argentine owns a decent 13-8 record, but he lost his Washington opener to James Blake (as the defending champion) and got blown out in the Montreal first round last week by Stanislas Wawrinka.
A streaky performer, Nalbandian can catch fire at any moment. The problem is that he is the essence of a player who feeds off momentum, and Nalbandian has none of that right now.
Nishikori, on the other hand, has already come through to qualifying matches; he dismissed both Joao Souza and Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets over the weekend. Look for Nishikori to be too consistent en route to a three-set triumph.
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