Kei Nishikori did not play a match after the Rogers Cup last August. So the 28-year-old decided to build up his match toughness on the ATP Challenger Tour to begin the new campaign. And it looks like that move paid off. The Japanese superstar battled past Moldovan Radu Albot to advance to the semi-finals of the New York Open 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 on Friday evening. Nishikori, who won the Memphis Open four years in a row (2013-2016) before the event moved to Long Island this year, is just two matches away from his claiming his first ATP World Tour title since 2016 Memphis. "It was a very tough start. I think he was playing very good tennis," Nishikori said. "During the...
Frank Sinatra wrote in his song ‘New York, New York’ that, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” And for a long time, that has been the case in the tennis world, too. The Nitto ATP Finals were held at the ‘World’s Most Famous Arena’, Madison Square Garden, from 1977 through 1989. And the Hamlet Cup was a powerful presence on the ATP World Tour from 1990 until 2004. Five players who were victorious at that event (Edberg, Lendl, Kafelnikov, Moya and Hewitt) held the No. 1 ATP Ranking in their career. Three other competitors (Korda, Norman, Haas) who also raised the trophy reached World No. 2. But 13 years went by without an ATP World Tour...
Kevin Anderson is the top seed this week at the New York Open for only the fifth time in his 12-year career. But on Thursday on Long Island, the South African played like a man used to the pressure that comes with having a No. 1 next to your name. Mired in a three-set fight against Ernesto Escobedo of the U.S., Anderson didn't move an millimetre in the decider. He won 94 per cent of his service points in the decider (29/31) and pulled through in the tie-break to advance to the quarter-finals 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5). It was their first tour-level meeting, but Escobedo, who, at No. 131, is ranked 110 spots lower than No. 11 Anderson, impressed the 2017...
Radu Albot surprised third seed John Isner at the inaugural New York Open on Wednesday evening to earn his first victory against an opponent inside the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings. It does not get any easier for the Moldovan, who will face former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. But the Japanese superstar is not taking Albot lightly. "He’s a very good grinder player and he doesn’t miss much," Nishikori said of the World No. 91. "I’ve got to really focus against him.” ATPWorldTour.com spoke to Albot after his second-round triumph against the home favourite, discussing his passions, what he wants to do after his career and more. What’s your biggest passion outside of sport and...
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...
