World number five Kei Nishikori has finally reached the final at the Brisbane International, after losing in the semifinals on three occasions, nonetheless, Nishikori will be looking to build on some momentum gained ahead of his quest for his first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, the Slam where he has reached the quarterfinals three times.
Facing Nishikori on the other side of the net will be 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov, and the Bulgarian has been exciting to watch this week, producing his best tennis in a couple of years, as he struggled drastically in 2015, and for parts in 2016, moreover, he ended 2016 ranked at 17 in the world, and he will be hoping to re-enter the top ten at some stage in 2017.
The world number five will be competing in his 21st career final, and despite reaching five finals in 2016, Nishikori was only able to win one title in Memphis for the fourth consecutive year. He is currently on a four-match losing streak finals, and he will hope to change that in Brisbane. Meanwhile, Dimitrov is a former finalist in Brisbane losing his first final to Andy Murray in 2013, and the Bulgarian will be competing in his tenth final, and he hasn't won a title since prevailing at Queen's in 2014. He is also on a four-match losing streak like Nishikori too.
Nishikori's route to the final
The 2014 US Open finalist received a bye in the first round, and despite cruising in the first set with a double break, the third seed had a mental lapse, and ultimately lost the opening set in his first match of 2017 with Jared Donaldson, ultimately, he regrouped and prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals in Brisbane once again. Nishikori sailed past Australia's Jordan Thompson, 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals, and in the semifinals, Nishikori defeated second seed Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 6-3 in their second consecutive meeting, and he leveled their head-to-head at 4-4 in the process.
Dimitrov's route to the final
The Bulgarian has been working hard in the off-season, and it has certainly paid off, as the seventh seed has only dropped a solitary set like Nishikori to reach this stage of the tournament. Dimitrov eased past world number 33 Steve Johnson, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round, and in the following round, he defeated two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Nicolas Mahut, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. The first test of 2017 for Dimitrov was against fourth seed Dominic Thiem, and the Bulgarian caused a minor upset over last year's French Open semifinalist ousting the Austrian in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 but in the semifinals, arguably the biggest test that Dimitrov needed was against the top seed, world number three and defending champion Milos Raonic in their first meeting in three years. Dimitrov halted last year's Wimbledon finalist's title defense in straight sets, 7-6 (7), 6-2 to set up this final with Nishikori.
Their history
Nishikori and Dimitrov have met on three occasions, and all of their meetings have taken place on hard courts, and the third seed has won all three of their previous encounters.
The world number five won their first meeting in straight sets in the first round of the Shanghai Masters in 2013, 6-3, 6-4, and he followed this up with another straight-set win in the third round of the Miami Open in 2014 with a closer 7-6 (1), 7-5 scoreline. However, their most recent meeting encounter in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto required three sets with Nishikori coming out on top, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, and he went on to reach the final but lost to world number two Novak Djokovic in the final.
Who wins the championship?
Both players defeated higher ranked players in the semifinals and both did it in flying colours with dropping a set in the process. Dimitrov certainly needed that victory over Raonic to prove naysayers wrong that he still has the credentials to get the big wins over the top players, and still be a contender for the big titles. Meanwhile, Nishikori continued his momentum with a confidence-boosting victory over Wawrinka, and to defeat the Swiss number one in two consecutive matches in the past few months will give him confidence heading into the Australian Open.
The seventh seed will need to serve well in this final, as Nishikori will punish Dimitrov with thunderous returns if his serve has deserted him and not firing on all cylinders. Dimitrov's an offensive player who likes to dominate play from the baseline but he is a great defender in his own right, and he is speedy around the court and can chase down any drop shots if Nishikori's looking to get the Bulgarian off the baseline. Nishikori's serve has improved immensely, and the Japanese number one is starting to get some cheap points like aces in his game.
Dimitrov will head into the Australian Open with more expectations if he can register three back-to-back top ten wins, and take this title in Brisbane, however, it remains to be seen if the Bulgarian can keep up the good tennis he has produced this week, and the third seed may just have a little much for Dimitrov in this final which has the potential of being a thriller.
This final takes place in the Pat Rafter Arena at not before 7 pm local time, and both players will be pleased to kickstart their 2017 seasons with a title to their name.
Prediction: Nishikori in straight sets