US Open: Kei Nishikori vs. Salvatore Caruso 8/31/21 Tennis Prediction

Kei Nishikori of Japan will face the Italian Salvatore Caruso in the First Round of the 2021 US Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday August 31st, 2021 at 11:00am EST.

Kei Nishikori is a former top 5 player who has not been at his best over the past few seasons, and will be hoping to use all his experience to go on a deep run here at the 2021 US Open. His First Round opponent Salvatore Caruso will do everything in his power to stop that from happening. Can the Italian cause the big upset? Or will Nishikori advance as expected, moving on to the Second Round here in New York?

Kei Nishikori is currently ranked #55 on the ATP Tour and is unseeded here at the 2021 US Open. The Japanese star is a former Finalist here in New York, reaching the title game back in 2014 where he lost to Marin Cilic in straight sets. Nishikori has not been at his best over the past few years as he struggled with injuries and loss of form but has been slowly getting back to his best and has had some strong results. He enters this event in good form, having reached the Quarter-Finals at the Tokyo Olympics and the Semi-Finals in Washington. He then entered the Rogers Cup where he won his First Round match but then withdrew after sustaining a slight injury in practice. If he is back to 100% health he is the big favorite here against his opponent Salvatore Caruso and will be expected to advance to the Second Round here in New York.

Salvatore Caruso is ranked #113 in the world rankings and is unseeded here at the 2021 US Open. The Italian is known as a clay court player but has had some decent results on the quicker surfaces, most notably his run to the Third Round here last year. He has been splitting his time between the ATP and Challenger Tours, and has been having a very inconsistent season so far. He would have been hoping to replicate his exploits here last year but has been handed a tough draw against the highly experienced Kei Nishikori. If this was a clay court then it would be a bit more even, but he is the big underdog here on a hard court and will have to play his best tennis to have any chance here whatsoever.

This is a straightforward match to predict and Kei Nishikori should take this in straight sets. The Japanese star has always had a lot of success here at the US Open and while his opponent Salvatore Caruso is talented, he has been in poor form and also has not played any hard court events to prepare for this tournament. I am expecting Nishikori to be way too consistent for the Italian, and should wear him down with relative ease Kei Nishikori will win here, advancing to the Second Round of the 2021 US Open.