Mission accomplished! He sat on the sidelines for nearly six months with a wrist injury, but now Kei Nishikori has returned to the winners' circle. The Japanese star, who ascended to a career-high No. 4 in the ATP Rankings less than a year ago, is back with a vengeance after claiming the title at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Dallas. Nishikori defeated American Mackenzie McDonald 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday evening at the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas, securing his first title at any level in exactly two years (Memphis 2016). It was Nishikori's sixth victory on the Challenger circuit and first since 2010. Seeking to rediscover his rhythm and find confidence in his return to the court, the 28-year-old...
There are signs that Denis Kudla is getting back to his best. After reaching a career-high No. 53 in the ATP Rankings on 23 May 2016, Kudla saw his ranking slowly drop until falling outside of the Top 200 towards the end of 2017. But, after a strong final run in Knoxville (l. Peliwo) on the ATP Challenger Tour, Kudla ended his season with great cause for optimism. In 2018, Kudla has already built on that strong showing in Tennessee, qualifying for his first Grand Slam main draw since the 2016 US Open, winning four matches and forcing No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem to five-sets in a second-round loss at the Australian Open. This week, he is into the quarter-finals...
The comeback continues! Kei Nishikori looks to build momentum in his return to professional tennis at this week's RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas, a $125,000 event on the ATP Challenger Tour. The Japanese star, who just 10 months ago ascended to a career-high World No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, claimed his first victory of the year on Monday, in his return from injury. It was deja vu for Nishikori, who drew American Dennis Novikov as his first-round opponent in Dallas. Novikov prevailed in the top seed's comeback debut last week in Newport Beach, California. This time, however, the 28-year-old turned in a vintage Nishikori performance for a 6-3, 6-3 victory under the lights at the T Bar M Racquet...
Sports fans in the greater Los Angeles and Dallas areas are in for a treat over the next few weeks. In an era where big stadiums and mammoth arenas dominate the sporting landscape, witnessing the greatness of a superstar in an smaller, more intimate setting still holds a special charm. Those coming out to the Newport Beach Tennis Club and T Bar M Racquet Club will soon have that opportunity, as former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori is set to make his comeback debut in the cozy confines of the ATP Challenger Tour. The Japanese star will begin his quest to return to the Top 5 after prematurely ending his 2017 season due to a right wrist injury in August....
A LOOK BACK RBC Tennis Championships Of Dallas (Dallas, Texas): Top seed Ryan Harrison came out on top in an all-American battle against second seed and #NextGenATP star Taylor Fritz, firing a backhand winner on match point to prevail 6-3, 6-3. Harrison didn't drop a set throughout the week and becomes the first No. 1 seed to win the Dallas title in their 20 years on the ATP Challenger Tour. He now has four ATP Challenger Tour titles, but this is his first since January 2015 in Happy Valley, Australia. He’s projected to move up to No. 62 on Monday in the Emirates ATP Rankings and has jumped nearly 100 spots since July. Fritz was looking for his first title...
