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The Nike Match was an interesting bringback move for Nike to make. the story goes that one Mr. Hiroshi Fujiwara clocked a pair in Portland and decided that it would make a good Tier Zero addition. That makes a lot of sense - the Match fits with the then (and now) fixation with fixed gears and a peroccupation with simplicity. Having had a Hiroshi reworking as well as some excellent UnderCover colourways, its gone inline, but with a similar aesthetic to previous executions. Originally released around 1973, the same time as the Blazer, this was some Blazer and Bruin styling aimed at a different kind of court. It coincides with Nike's early sponsorship (their first professional endorsement) with a pre-adidas Ilie Nastase, but we think Ilie was more of a Wimbledon man. The rougher edges of the original have been smoothed a little, but the simplicity—which was pretty quaint considering what other early '70s tennis shoes looked—and minimal branding in line with court decorum—something that Nike's justified irreverance would annihilate during the following decade—remains. It wasn't a big commercial success, but it made a few more appearances. Now the Match makes siginificantly more sense, as the budget court pieces come back out to play with premium co-signs and Zoom Air on the basics ups the comfort on a previously no-frills shoe. These arrive in the store next month...