2021 Wimbledon Championships First Round – Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin taking place? Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin will take place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, England
When is Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin on and what time does it start? Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin will take place on Wednesday 30th June, 2021 – not before 11:00 (UK) / 06:00 (US EST)
What surface is Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin being played on? Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin will be played on an outdoor grass court
Where can I get tickets for Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin
What channel is Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin on? Coverage of Wimbledon is shared between BBC and Eurosport
Where can I stream Kei Nishikori vs Alexei Popyrin? If televised on BBC, this match can be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. If the match is televised on Eurosport, subscribers can stream the match live on Eurosport Player
THE LOWDOWN
KEI NISHIKORI
Kei Nishikori overcame three opponents at Roland-Garros before falling to Alexander Zverev in the round of 16. He will hope to build on that showing at Wimbledon, a tournament that he enjoys. His all-time record at SW19 is 21-10 and he has made the quarter-finals in his last two appearances here. He ultimately succumbed to Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, not before taking a set off each of them however and the 31-year-old will be looking to at least match those efforts this time around.
ALEXEI POPYRIN
World number 67 Alexei Popyrin won his first ATP title at the Singapore Open earlier this season as he begins to make his way up to the top 50 of the game. The 21-year-old played a full compliment of grass court tournaments but lost in the first rounds of both the Stuttgart Open and Queen’s before eventually winning a match in the first round of the Eastbourne International. The Aussie has faced Rafael Nadal twice this season and gave a good account of himself in both, particularly in the round of 16 at the Madrid Open. Popyrin has reached the third round of Grand Slams on three occasions already but never past the second round at Wimbledon with this his second appearance.
THE PREDICTION
21-year-old Alexei Popyrin has struggled on the grass so far this June but he will be a combative first opponent for Kei Nishikori here and one likely to force at least a tiebreak. Current world number 53 Nishikori may have to start realigning his goals as the top 10 seems to get further away but he is a popular player anywhere he goes. Nishikori reached a career-high world number four back in 2015 but has struggled with injuries over the last few years. Still, the Japanese number one has reached the quarter-finals in both of his last two Wimbledon appearances and he should be the outright winner here come the end of a potentially lengthy match,
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