Montreal
Nishikori earns largest win since ‘21, subsequent faces Tsitsipas in Montreal
Japanese star is competing in fifth match of 12 months
August 06, 2024
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Kei Nishikori defeats Alex Michelsen after two hours, 33 minutes in Montreal.
By ATP Workers
Kei Nishikori confirmed flashes of his classic finest Tuesday when he overcame #NextGenATP teen Alex Michelsen 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 within the first spherical of the Omnium Banque Nationwide présenté par Rogers.
By defeating the World No. 55 Michelsen, it marks the 34-year-old’s first win at ATP Masters 1000 degree since 2021 Indian Wells and his highest-ranked victory since Washington that 12 months.
“It has been a very long time,” Nishikori mentioned with a smile in his on-court interview. “It means so much, particularly the way in which I performed within the third set. First and second set, many ups and downs and I used to be lacking loads of balls. Third set, I used to be enjoying fairly good tennis I feel, good defence and once I wanted to, I used to be having good motion and enjoying aggressive. It was working rather well.”
Nishikori constantly struck deep returns to stress the 19-year-old American’s serve, changing 4 of his 12 break probabilities. The previous World No. 4 within the PIF ATP Rankings earned a decisive breaks to clinch the second set and repeated that feat to shut the match after two hours, 33 minutes. Competing in his fifth match this 12 months throughout all ranges, Nishikori crushed 22 forehand winners, in accordance with Infosys ATP Stats.
“I simply wanted to maintain believing in myself, that is the one factor I can do. To be aggressive, begin hitting extra forehands and backhand [down the] line. I feel that began working nicely within the second set,” mentioned Nishikori, who has received 12 tour-level titles.
The 2016 finalist, making his ninth look on the Canadian Masters 1000 match, will subsequent face eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. It can mark their third Lexus ATP Head2Head assembly, having cut up their earlier two encounters.
In different Tuesday motion, Lorenzo Sonego superior with a 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4 victory in opposition to Tallon Griekspoor.
Did You Know?
Amongst lively gamers, Nishikori owns the very best deciding-set profitable share (149-57, .723)