Tennis: Nishikori grinds out win over Cilic in Japan Open 1st round
Source: – Kyodo News+
Host country favorite Kei Nishikori rolled back the years with a vintage performance to beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round at the Japan Open tennis championships Thursday.
In a rematch of the 2014 U.S. Open final won by Cilic, former world No. 4 Nishikori claimed a key break in the sixth game of the final set for a 4-2 lead and held on in front of a sold-out crowd at Ariake Colosseum.
Nishikori, a two-time Japan Open champion, converted three of his seven break points.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori reaches to attempt a return during his first-round match against Croatia’s Marin Cilic at the Japan Open tennis championships in Tokyo on Sept. 26, 2024. (Kyodo)
“I’m relieved to have gone through,” the 34-year-old said. “I started the match pretty well and managed to raise my game toward the end. With the support of fans, I feel like I’m gradually getting back to my form.”
Former world No. 3 Cilic came to Tokyo on a high note after winning the Hangzhou Open in China earlier this week to become the lowest-ranked tournament winner in ATP Tour history at No. 777.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori (R) and Croatia’s Marin Cilic pose for a photo before their first-round match at the Japan Open tennis championships in Tokyo on Sept. 26, 2024. (Kyodo)
Nishikori and Cilic entered the match ranked 200th and 212th, respectively.
Also on the second day of the hard-court ATP 500 event, top-seeded American Taylor Fritz and fourth-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out in the first round.
France’s Arthur Fils defeated this year’s U.S. Open runner-up Fritz 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Defending champion Ben Shelton rallied from a set down to defeat fellow American Reilly Opelka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, while Japanese wild card Yoshihito Nishioka outlasted Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(5).
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