Kei Nishikori pumped his right fist in celebration after winning a physically demanding encounter against Marin Cilic on Friday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Nishikori, renowned for his fighting abilities, had seen three match points evaporate in the second set, but as the match wore on he dug deep in the critical moments to complete a 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3 quarter-final victory over the second-seeded Cilic. “Every match I think I'm improving,” said Nishikori. “Today was tough match. He was playing very good, especially in the second set. He was playing aggressively, [taking the ball] early and serving well. “It wasn't an easy match. Yeah, mentally it was a little bit tough in the second set. I lost three match points....
It has not been easy for 115-time tour-level champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. But in crunch time, the 39-year-old twins have found ways to survive and advance. A day after saving match point, the Americans faced another tough battle, overcoming defending champion Pablo Cuevas and his partner, Marcel Granollers, 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 10-5. Bryan/Bryan, who turn 40 on 29 April, are into their sixth semi-final in eight tournaments this year, winning their 37th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open presented by Itaú. The fourth seeds did not earn a break point in the match, but saved all four against them. And in the Match Tie-break, they gained a 5/0 lead that...
Grigor Dimitrov reacts to his quarter-final win against friend David Goffin at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Friday. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal was rock solid on Friday when he broke apart the challenge of Dominic Thiem, one of the strongest performers on clay courts over the past two years, for a place in his 13th semi-final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Nadal won the first nine games of an eagerly anticipated encounter against Novak Djokovic’s conqueror, Thiem, in a 6-0, 6-2 victory over 68 minutes to remain on course to capture an 11th crown at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, where he has a 66-4 record. “It has been a great result for me, but it isn’t a normal result,” said Nadal. “He's one of the best players of the world, especially on clay. “Here, I think I played great....
