Four-time champion Novak Djokovic takes on Kei Nishikori of Japan in the men's singles quarter-final of Italian Open 2018 — Rome Masters on Friday, May 18.
When is the quarter-final match and how to watch it live in India
The much-anticipated quarter-final between Djokovic and Nishikori will not start before 4 pm local time, 7:30 pm IST and 3 pm BST.
Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD will provide live television coverage of the match in India. Live stream will be available on Sony Liv.
Djokovic vs Nishikori - Rome Masters 2018 preview
12-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic clinched a confidence-boosting straight-set win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain on Thursday, May 17 to reach his first quarter-final of the ongoing season.
The 31-year-old decimated his unseeded opponent in the first set before fending off a threat in the second to take the match 6-1, 7-5.
Djokovic had been struggling to make an impact since returning from a long injury layoff at the start of the season but the win on Thursday should have boosted his confidence.
The Serb heads into the quarter-final outing as favorite, given his dominant head-to-head record against Nishikori (12-2). Djokovic also made light work of the Japanese tennis star in the recent meeting — Madrid Masters first round last week.
Djokovic insists he enjoys playing in Rome and his upbeat body language is certainly a testament to his statement. The former world number one and last year's runner-up has not dropped a set yet in the ongoing tournament.
"We had some epic matches here. I think this match tomorrow comes at the right time for both of us to see where we are with our game," Djokovic said, as quoted by ATP's official website.
Can Nishikori stop Djokovic juggernaut?
On the other hand, Nishikori will be eyeing revenge when he steps on the Foro Italico courts later today. The 28-year-old heads into the tie on the back of wins against the likes of third-seed Grigor Dimitrov, Feliciano Lopez and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Nishikori impressed on his comeback from a wrist-surgery by reaching the final of Monte Carlo Masters — season's first Masters 1000 tournament on the red dirt. However, his performances has dipped ever since as he faced first-round exits in Barcelona and Madrid.
Nishikori needs to find something special later today as he has not beaten Djokovic since the 2014 US Open semi-final.
Rome Masters quarter-final - Order of Play
- Rafael Nadal [1] vs Fabio Fognini - 12 pm local time, 3:30 pm IST
- Pablo Carreno Busta [10] vs Marin Cilic [4] - Not before 2pm local time, 5:30 pm IST
- David Goffin [9] vs Alexander Zverev [2] - Not before 9 pm local time, 12:30 am IST [Saturday]
Italian Open 2018 quarter-finals live stream and global TV listings
US: Tennis Channel
UK: TV - Sky Sports; Live stream: Sky Go
Germany: Sky
Japan: NHK
Malaysia: Astro Supersport
South Africa: Supersport
