By Britwatch Team
- Top Seeds: Kei Nishikori, Steve Johnson, Donald Young, Sam Querrey
- Defending champion: Kei Nishikori
MEMPHIS, USA – Kei Nishikori returns to try and add to history and to win an unprecedented fourth straight title.
Britwatch Tennis:
Top Quarter – Kei Nishikori
While the Big Five still have a stranglehold on the Slams, eyes turned yet again to ‘Generation Next’ and while this time Milos Raonic stepped up to the plate to make a second Slam semi-final, perhaps Nishikori drew the short straw coming up against the World No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final.
Here he is back on much surer ground, and has won three titles back to back, and with a fairly open quarter, he looks likely to come through his quarter pretty comfortably.
Second Quarter – Sam Groth
Although 2010 champion Sam Querrey is the fourth seed here and really expected to advance, keep an eye out on big hitter Groth. He may have been taken apart by Andy Murray on home turf at the Australian Open, but enjoyed helping Lleyton Hewitt to put off hanging up his racquets in the doubles.
Querrey has had a shaky start to his year, having to withdraw from the Brisbane season opener with a right knee injury, and despite advancing to the second round in Auckland via Aljaz Bedene’s retirement, he lost in the next round to compatriot John Isner, and then had to hand a walkover in the doubles again down to his knee.
He then had to retire in his Australian Open first round match due to cramp – so we give the edge to the Aussie to advance.
Third Quarter – Donald Young
Last year, the American improved his year-end ranking for the third straight season, and looks to be trying to push on, certainly in the latter half of last year overcoming a 9-match losing streak between March and August.
That being said, his year so far has not been much to wrote home about, with no back to back wins, but finds himself in a fairly weak quarter, and could make some noise in Memphis. He enjoyed a solid run here last year to the semi-finals and will hope to match that at least and perhaps kickstart his 2016.
Bottom Quarter – Steve Johnson
Johnson dashed British hopes by ousting the British No. 2 Bedene at the Australian Open, before running into David Ferrer in the third round and he looks set to follow the seeding. Benjamin Becker enjoyed some success when Memphis was the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in its ATP 500 days reaching the 2013 semi-finals, but has had less joy since it dropped to an ATP 250.
The US National Indoor Tennis Championships takes place between 8-14 February.
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