Tennis fans looking at the schedule for the 2024 Miami Open’s first round will find a veteran making a return to competitive play. A former Top 5 player, Kei Nishikori of Japan, will face Austrian tennis player Sebastian Ofner at the 2024 ATP Miami tennis tournament (ie. Miami Masters). Nishikori is priced at +120 to win the match, making him a mild underdog against Ofner. This latter player’s pure talent is far inferior to Nishikori’s. However, Ofner is more run-in for matches lately while the Japanese player comes in ice cold. My Nishikori vs Ofner prediction is that Nishikori will win this match.
Order of Play: Right-click/Open in the New Tab to check match times: subject to change
Kei Nishikori vs Sebastian Ofner Head-to-Head Series
This will be the first match between these two players. Accordingly, the Nishikori vs Ofner h2h is at 0-0. Nishikori has been off the tour for eight months, having not contested a match since July. His ranking points are minimal at this point with just a ranking of 351st in the world at the moment. Meanwhile, Ofner is the World No. 40 as of this week.
The Draw: Right-click/Open the link in a new tab for the draw for the 2024 Miami Open
Kei Nishikori’s Recent Matches and Results
When Nishikori last played, he was in the ATP Atlanta draw. His last match was on July 28th, 2023, a loss to Taylor Fritz. Nishikori has since turned 34 years old. He is nine years removed from his career high ranking, which was No. 4 back in March 2015. At his current age, he is probably quite capable of getting back to the Top 35.
Sebastian Ofner’s Recent Matches and Results
Ofner lost in the first round of the Indian Wells tournament on March 7th to Borna Coric. Ofner then entered the Phoenix Challenger, likely to try and get some matches in after his quick exit in California. Instead, Ofner went out in the first round of the Phoenix Challenger, losing to one Terence Atmane.
Ofner has not had a good result since early in the season when he was in Hong Kong. In February, he entered four tournaments in Latin America, three of which were clay court events. Ofner went 1-4 in these events.
One can see why he was attracted to the Phoenix Challenger as he is starved for matches right now. That he went out of the first round of a challenger event isn’t exactly a feather in his cap. If you are a Top 40 player bothering with a challenger event, then the expectation is at least for an appearance in the semifinals.
Nishikori vs Ofner Prediction: Nishikori to win
Nishikori at +120 is the only moneyline bet that can really be made in my opinion (bet365). If you are backing Ofner, then you are hoping for a “sudden turnaround.” On the other hand, with Nishikori, you are hoping that he is coming back from his layoff ready to beat a slumping player. Such a hope is not a shot in the dark.
Admittedly, this could be a close match if Nishikori’s lack of matchplay over the last eight months has his touch a little off. However, mentally he is going to be heads-and-shoulders better at the chess match part of tennis. If he has a sharp match, then underdog odds could prove to be a steal.
Ofner vs Nishikori prediction: Draw at the 2024 Miami Open
The winner of this match will face Francisco Cerundolo. This is a microsection where Nishikori is the best talent so the spot in the third round will be settled by his playing level as he resumes competitive tennis.
Additional reading: All previews for upcoming tennis matches!
