James Blake takes on former champion Kei Nishikori in the second round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships tonight.
Nishikori burst onto the scene at this tournament three years ago, winning the title as a qualifier aged just 18. He looked set to be Asia's next big tennis star but injuries set in and he's just beginning to rebuild his career.
This is a rematch of that 2008 final which Nishikori won 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 although Blake got his revenge in Houston a few months later.
Blake's career has also taken a downturn since then. The march of time has caught up with the New Yorker who currently languishes at 144 in the rankings with many wondering whether this season will be his last. He's in the draw this week as a wildcard and beat Ben Becker 7-5, 6-4 on Monday but the past couple of weeks have seen him make second round exits in Memphis and San Jose.
Nishikori's recent form has hardly been stellar either. He did not even make it through the qualifying rounds in Memphis but he had a decent Australian Open, reaching round three and expect the former champion to reach the last eight.
