Australian Open 2015: Day 8 Schedule, Matchups Predictions for Melbourne Bracket
Day 7 of the 2015 Australian Open was full of entertaining, adrenaline-spiking play out on the hard courts. Perhaps no match was more intriguing—and as it turned out, more thrilling—than the unseeded duel between Andreas Seppi and rising star Nick Kyrgios, the latter coming back from two sets down to win 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 8-6 in front of a wonderfully supportive home crowd.
Kyrgios—a brash, supremely entertaining 19-year-old with a flair for the dramatic—combined bold shot-making, wicked serves and steel nerves to out-duel Seppi, a 30-year-old journeyman coming off a huge win over No. 2 Roger Federer and a knack for letting opponents just beat themselves while he takes what's given out on the court.
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The win marks Kyrgios' second appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, a momentous achievement for a teenager, as ESPN Tennis points out:
"Taking quick 3-0 lead in 5th, Kyrgios looks to become 1st male teen to reach multiple Slam QFs since Federer in '01. pic.twitter.com/HzFFJZDD6m
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 25, 2015"
The young Australian of Greek and Malaysian descent will play No. 6 Andy Murray, who defeated No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 in a bombastic four-set match on Sunday evening in Melbourne.
Grantland's Brian Phillips is apparently stoked:
"Murray-Kyrgios is going to be *fire department smashes through door and turns hoses on this tweet*
— Brian Phillips (@runofplay) January 25, 2015"
In the women's draw, the Day 7 fireworks came courtesy of a solid, back-and-forth match between No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard and unseeded Irina-Camelia Begu, with the former winning in three sets by a score of 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.
The tournament keeps on trucking, so here is a look at the Day 8 schedule, complete with predictions for each matchup in the women's and men's singles draw and a preview of the top contest to watch on Monday.
| Rod Laver Arena | 7 p.m. | No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova vs. Victoria Azarenka | Azarenka in two |
| Rod Laver Arena | 7 p.m. | No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 24 Garbine Muguruza | Williams in two |
| Rod Laver Arena | Not before 10 p.m. | No. 9 David Ferrer vs. No. 5 Kei Nishikori | Nishikori in five |
| Rod Laver Arena | 3 a.m. (Monday) | No. 18 Venus Williams vs. No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska | Radwanska in three |
| Rod Laver Arena | 3 a.m. (Monday) | No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. Gilles Muller | Djokovic in three |
| Margaret Court Arena | 4 p.m. | No. 4 Stan Wawrinka vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez | Wawrinka in four |
| Margaret Court Arena | Not before 6:15 p.m. | Madison Keys vs. Madison Brengle | Keys in two |
| HiSense Arena | Not before 5 p.m. | No. 12 Feliciano Lopez vs. No. 8 Milos Raonic | Raonic in four |
Note: A complete look at the Day 8 schedule and draw can be found at AusOpen.com.
Match Preview
No. 9 David Ferrer vs. No. 5 Kei Nishikori
There is no shortage of fine matches to watch on Day 8 at the Aussie Open, but if you have to choose just one—and if you're stateside, this assumes you don't want to wreak too much havoc on your sleep schedule—a top-10 duel between David Ferrer and Kei Nishikori is the top choice.
Ferrer is a fixture in the latter rounds of the Australian Open, having reached the quarterfinals in five of the past seven years. He's coming off a taxing four-set win over No. 18 Gilles Simon, one that saw him finish the match with blood seeping through his socks, via the Australian Open Twitter account (referred to in video):
LiveTennis.com's Hannah Wilks noted that Ferrer has had his fair share of struggles in the early rounds of this tournament, and the 32-year-old could be on the verge of crashing out of the top-tier picture:
"On the other hand, Ferrer comes into this match as something of the underdog, with a general perception that his time in the sun is coming to an end at the age of 32 and with a split with his longtime coach behind him – as well as his relatively mediocre 2014 season, in which he failed to qualify for the World Tour Finals (although played Nishikori there as an alternate anyway). The Spanish player seems set on defying the relentless march of time, though, beating Tomas Berdych in the final to claim the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title – and he has reached the quarterfinals or better at the Australian Open for the past four years, reaching the semifinals in 2011 and 2013.
"
Ferrer is not yet a toothless opponent and he's exactly the type of player Nishikori will have to beat regularly to prove his worth as a perennial title contender. The 32-year-old Spaniard is an excellent baseline player, one who can sit deep, play defense and then pounce on an opponent's mistakes on long rallies.
Nishikori will have to be wary of another slow start in this one, as Ferrer has the talent to punish sloppy play and turn the match into a grind. "Special Kei" dropped the first set of the match to both Ivan Dodig and Steve Johnson in the second and third rounds, respectively.
He made quick work of Johnson after that early swoon, but Dodig tested his limits a bit, forcing the second set to go 7-5 and losing the match on a 7-6 (7) tiebreaker in the fourth. ESPN Tennis captured his sense of relief after finishing off Dodig:
"A relieved Kei Nishikori books his spot in the #AusOpen 3rd rd with a tough four set win over Ivan Dodig. #ESPNTennis pic.twitter.com/aPn1fGO6SA
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 22, 2015"
If it looks like every win comes with a huge weight lifted from the 25-year-old's slender shoulders, he might agree with that assessment.
"Obviously No. 5 is different feeling than outside of top 10 because you still feel lot of confidence, but you feel other things off the court,” Nishikori said, via the Herald Sun's Grant Baker.
“I think I feel more pressure than before. I try not to think too much. But you obviously feel little bit."
It's tough being the torchbearer for an entire nation in any sport, especially one as potentially isolating as tennis. However, Nishikori should have the confidence and guile to go toe-to-bloody-toe with Ferrer in this match. He's charted a path to the top of a Grand Slam before, winning praise for his runner-up performance in the 2014 U.S. Open. Nishikori is also 6-3 all-time against Ferrer and winner of their last four meetings.
If Nishikori is on top of his game, this could be a long match with some truly excellent points. Their last four meetings have all gone to three sets, with four of those sets ending in tiebreakers.
Ferrer's physical health could be a concern, but he proved his reservoir of resolve runs deep in defeating Simon, another solid baseline player, in Round 3.
This match is going to be a war—possibly of attrition, depending on the status of Ferrer's foot—out on the Hisense Arena hard court, one that Nishikori is poised to win as he takes yet another step toward his first Grand Slam title.
Prediction: Nishikori in five sets
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