Kei Nishikori, meanwhile, earned an emotional win in the first round, beating American teenager Alex Michelsen in three sets. Nishikori recovered from a set down to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 for a first Masters 1000 win in three years.

In the victory, the Japanese man converted four of 12 break points and planted 29 winners to 21 unforced errors. Nishikori landed 64% first serves and won 63% first-serve points (37/56). 

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Kei Nishikori Head-To-Head

• Tsitsipas and Nishikori are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Kei Nishikori Prediction

Nishikori is one of the best hard-court players on Tour when he is injury-free. But that has not been the case in the last few years as he’s spent more time in the treatment room than on a tennis court, and it’s almost a miracle that he’s overcome some of these career-ending injuries like the hip surgery he underwent two seasons ago. He has a better backhand than Tsitsipas and can defend better than Greek. Still, fitness will always be a question mark whenever he plays from now on. And at 34, he has probably lost that extra of pace that made him one of the most technically gifted movers on the court. Tsitsipas won’t take a lot of time to adjust to the conditions in Canada, and he’s good value to lump him on a parlay.