ATP Challenger Tour · Round of 32 · Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open
Final score & match stats
Playing styles and historical archetype record
Nishikori
🪃 Counterpuncher
Kicker
⚔️ The Gladiator
Matchup analysis
The 🪃 Counterpuncher archetype wins about 54% vs ⚔️ The Gladiator across 3,800 matches in our dataset. That is a small stylistic lean for Kei Nishikori here.
Counterpuncher players often use elite bp conversion and strong return game to pressure the the gladiator's physical intensity. On Clay, that can swing with conditions.
Hypothetical if you put 1u on each player to win every one of their matches · Last 90 days
| Metric | Nishikori | Kicker |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 2–3 | 5–5 |
| Avg odds | 1.61 | 1.51 |
| ROI % | -44.0% | -37.2% |
| Units P/L | -2.20u | -3.72u |
Small sample: ROI stabilizes with more matches; fewer than 10 in the window is noisy.
Prior meetings and scores · 1 career meeting
1
Nishikori
0
Kicker
Results vs. opponents both players faced · Last 12 months
Across 1 shared opponent, both Nishikori and Kicker posted a 100% win rate.
| Opponent | Nishikori | Kicker |
|---|---|---|
| Jelle Sels | W 76 46 64 | W 76 75 |
Serve and return comparison · Last 90 days
| Stat | Nishikori | Kicker |
|---|---|---|
| Serve | ||
| 1st Serve In % | 59.2% | 60.9% |
| 1st Serve Pts Won % | 67.9% | 62% |
| 2nd Serve Pts Won % | 52.4% | 42.8% |
| Aces / Match | 2 | 2.4 |
| Double Faults / Match | 3.8 | 2.5 |
| Break Points Saved % | 61.6% | 44% |
| Return | ||
| 1st Return Pts Won % | 32.3% | 32.8% |
| 2nd Return Pts Won % | 53.6% | 47.9% |
| BP Converted % | 47.2% | 38.7% |
| Rally | ||
| Winners / Match | 19 | 16.3 |
| Unforced Errors / Match | 36.2 | 31.8 |
| Net Pts Won % | 69.9% | 43.3% |
| Total Pts Won % | 51% | 46% |
| Surface (Clay) | ||
| Clay Win % | 50% | 45% |
Last five matches per player
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Yibing Wu
Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open · Round of 16
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Nicolas Kicker
Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open · Round of 32
Apr 8
Clement Tabur
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Franco Roncadelli
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Ryan Dickerson
AAT Challenger IEB+ Edicion Córdoba · Round of 16
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Hernan Casanova
Santos Brasil Tennis Cup · Round of 16
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Ignacio Monzon
AAT Challenger IEB+ Edicion Córdoba · Round of 32
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Nicolas Zanellato
Santos Brasil Tennis Cup · Round of 32
May 6
Match summary
Kei Nishikori and Nicolas Kicker will meet in the Round of 32 at the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open on April 7, 2026. Nishikori holds a ranking of 491, while Kicker sits at 344. Both players will compete on the outdoor clay surface in Sarasota.
This will be the first meeting between Nishikori and Kicker. Neither player has a prior head-to-head record against the other, so they'll be facing off without that historical context.
Both players arrive with similar recent trajectories. Kei Nishikori has won 6 of his last 10 matches and carries a 70 percent record on clay courts overall. Nicolas Kicker also has a 60 percent win rate in his last 10 matches but sits at 50 percent on clay. Both are currently on losing streaks of two matches, and neither has played in the last two weeks.
Nishikori and Kicker share a similar approach to tennis, both operating as counterpunchers who rely on anticipation and defensive positioning. On the surface, this clay court in Sarasota should reward patience and consistent ball striking. Nishikori's stronger recent clay performance suggests he's found a rhythm in that environment.
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