Roger Federer
Roger Federer will take on Kei Nishikori for a place in the quarter-finals of the 2017 Australian Open Getty

Roger Federer will face Kei Nishikori in the fourth round of the 2017 Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday (22 January).

Where to watch live

The match is set to start at 8am GMT. Live coverage is available on British Eurosport and Eurosport 1 & 2.

Overview

Roger Federer made light work of world number 10 Tomas Berdych in the third round coming through in straight sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. The Swiss ace played two qualifiers in the first two rounds and the clash against the Czech Republic star was expected to be a big test owing to his lack of match practice in recent months due to a knee injury.

The former world number one was seeded 17<sup>th for the first Grand Slam of the year and hence is set to come up against the higher ranked players in the earlier rounds. Kei Nishikori is next up for the 17-time Grand Slam champion and he could come up against Andy Murray in the last eight if they win their respective matches.

Nishikori needed five sets in his first round match against Andrey Kuznetsov, but has since come through in three sets against Jeremy Chardy and Lucas Lacko. The Japanese world number five has been among the top-10 ranked players for the last two-and-a-half years and will go into the match against Federer with a good chance of coming out with a victory.

The 27-year-old has made the quarter-finals on three occasions at the Australian Open in the past, while he has also played in a final of a Grand Slam – 2014 US Open. He has lost his last three matches against Federer and will be keen to make amends. The winner of the match will face off against either world number one Murray or Mischa Zverev in the last eight.

Prediction: Roger Federer – in four sets

Betting odds

  • Federer win: 4/7
  • Nishikori win: 11/8

Head-to-head

The pair have met six times on the ATP tour with Federer holding a 4-2 advantage over Nishikori. Their last three meetings have been won by the Swiss ace. This is their first meeting in a Grand Slam event.

Australian Open Roger Federer