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Yoshishito Nishioka vs Miomir Kecmanovic: ATP Cincinnati – First round
Yoshishito Nishioka and Miomir Kecmanovic will face each other in the opening round of ATP Cincinnati.
Yoshishito Nishioka Profile
Yoshishito Nishioka is 52nd in the ATP rankings, while his career high was No. 24. The Japanese is 23-19 for the season and 11-10 on hard.
Nishioka is coming off a 6-4, 6-4 win over Arthur Cazaux in the second qualifying round after previously beating his fellow compatriot Taro Daniel.
Nishioka won the title in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago defeating Jordan Thompson in the final.
This will be his fifth appearance in Cincinnati and his best result was reaching the second round last season.
Miomir Kecmanovic Profile
Miomir Kecmanovic is 51st in the ATP rankings and his career high was No. 27. The Serbian is 18-22 for the season and 8-11 on hard.
Kecmanovic is coming off a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Nuno Borges in the opening round in Montreal.
His best results this season were the quarterfinals in Acapulco and Eastbourne.
This will be his fifth appearance in Cincinnati and his best result was reaching the round of 16 in 2019.
Head-to-Head Tied 2-2
- Kecmanovic vs Nishioka 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 (2022 ATP Tokyo, first round)
- Nishioka vs Kecmanovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 (2021 ATP Sainkt Petersburg, qualifiers)
- Nishioka vs Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-1 (2020 ATP Rome, first round)
- Kecmanovic vs Nishioka 6-4, ret. (2019 ATP Indian Wells, round of 16)
Prediction and Conclusion
Both players lack consistency and are very hard to predict. Nishioka made a lot of noise by winning the tournament in Atlanta, which came out of nowhere. He has a winning record compared to Kecmanovic, who has not gone past the quarterfinals all year. The Serbian is a much better player than the rankings say, and this may be the tournament where he proves that. He is better than Nishioka in every aspect of the game, so we go with Kecmanovic winning this one.
