Tokyo Olympics got the matchup it wanted after world no. 1 Novak Djokovic and Japan's Kei Nishikori forged their quarterfinal showdown with victories on Wednesday. Djokovic and Nishikori booked their places in the last 8 of the men's singles tennis competition after recording straight-set wins over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Ilya Ivashka, respectively.
Djokovic needed just one hour and 23 minutes to record a comprehensive 6-3, 6-1 victory over the Spaniard. The world no. 1 was in complete control, converting three of his six break point opportunities against Davidovich Fokina. Djokovic also recorded three aces and was aided by Davidovich Fokina's nine unforced errors.
Djokovic moving ever closer to the historic Golden Slam
Djokovic is now just three wins away from capturing his first Olympic gold medal. Djokovic has yet to step at the top of the podium in the Summer Games for all his accomplishments in the game. The Serbian's best finish in men's singles in the Olympics came in London in 2012 when he captured the bronze medal.
Djokovic is not only gunning for the gold medal here but also a shot at the Golden Slam. Only the great Steffi Graf accomplished this feat in 1988 when she won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon Championships, US Open, and the Olympic gold medal. Djokovic arrived in Tokyo with the 2021 Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon titles already in his collection.
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Nishikori looking for gigantic upset
Standing in his way from moving closer to that historic feat is Kei Nishikori. The hometown favorite barged into the quarterfinals of the Tokyo tournament with a 7-6(7) 6-0 win over Ivashka. Nishikori survived the punishing heat to reach his third consecutive quarterfinal in the Olympics.
The Japanese overcame a sluggish start as Nishikori converted three break point chances in the first set and came back from 5-2 down to take the opener in a tie break. It was smooth sailing for Nishikori in the second set, recording a bagel against Ivashka, who struggled with his groundstrokes.
The Belarusian committed 44 unforced errors as opposed to Nishikori's 27 in that same department. Nishikori is the only Japanese player remaining in the tennis events after Naomi Osaka suffered a shock defeat in the third round.
Nishikori will need to be at his best, though, in the quarterfinals if he is to keep the home nation's dreams of Olympic gold in tennis alive. That is because he will face the ultimate test in the game right now in Djokovic.
Nishikori knows that full well, losing 16 of his previous 18 meetings with Djokovic, including each of their last 15 matches. Djokovic is also in the midst of a 21-game streak, capturing three tournament victories during that stretch, including titles at Roland Garros and the All England Club.
It will be their first meeting in Japan, though, and Nishikori hopes that homecourt advantage counts in their quarterfinal clash. There will be no spectators to cheer on Nishikori as the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers not to allow fans in Tokyo venues for the Olympics.
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