Alex Michelsen vs Kei Nishikori Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP National Bank Open

Prediction published on 05/08/2024, 10:09  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 05/08/2024 at 10:30 in Tennis Predictions

Who will meet eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the National Bank Open? It'll be the winner of this match between Alex Michelsen and Kei Nishikori,  Both are unseeded, so time to look at their form and make our match prediction.

Alex Michelsen is the world number 55 and that's a career-high for the American. He is in good form and has reached at least the quarter-final in three of his last four tournaments. This Masters event is being played on a hard court and last week saw Michelsen get to the last eight in Washington.

Michelsen also got to the final of the Hall of Fame Open grass court tournament. He's used therefore to getting more wins than losses at present, whatever the surface. In 2024, the American reached one other hard court quarter-final before his success last week.

Kei Nishikori played in the Olympics but lost in his first match in both the singles and doubles on the same day. In the singles he lost to Jack Draper and only won five games. The Japanese player is 576th in the rankings but was fourth nine years ago when Michelsen was still at school.

Injuries have blighted his career and this year he's only played five singles matches with his only win coming on clay at Roland Garros. We tip Michelsen to win this in straight sets.