Kei Nishikori is looking more and more like his former self. Nishikori, the former World No. 4 who's on the comeback from right-wrist surgery last year, advanced to the New York Open quarter-finals on Wednesday. The fifth seed needed only 65 minutes to get past Russian Evgeny Donskoy 6-2, 6-4. The Japanese star won 84 per cent of his service points (37/44), including a higher percentage on his second serve (17/20, 85%) than his first (20/24, 83%). “I served really well, especially in the second set. I started getting my rhythm back and my first serve was working really well but also everything else was pretty solid today. I was playing aggressive and coming in,” Nishikori said. “Every match is...
Noah Rubin couldn't have envisioned a better start during his homecoming on the ATP World Tour. The Long Island native, facing former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, broke and led 3-0 on Tuesday at the New York Open in Long Island. A win over Nishikori would have been among the biggest of Rubin's young career. But then Nishikori, who's continuing his comeback from right-wrist surgery, ruined the party. The 28-year-old played steady tennis and came back to win his first tour-level match since 9 August (l. Monfils in Montreal) 7-5, 6-3 in New York. [ALSO LIKE] “He started very well, very aggressive. Serving well. I think he played a little better than me in the first set. Second set I...
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...
Watch the five best Hot Shots from the ATP Challenger Tour in the month of January, featuring Filip Peliwo, Kei Nishikori, Denis Kudla, Mikael Ymer and Leander Paes.