TOKYO (Kyodo) — Former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarterfinals of the Japan Open tennis tournament Saturday with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over Australia’s Jordan Thompson.
The host country favorite, currently ranked 200th, converted five of his seven break points while allowing Thompson to break his serve only once at Ariake Colosseum.
Thompson, who has risen to a career-high rank of 29th, was facing Nishikori after he upset third-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway in the first round.
“This win is big for me,” the 34-year-old Nishikori said. “I’m the most surprised, and my coaching staff must be surprised, too. I even got shots that made me wonder why they went in.”
“I played well from the beginning and stayed focused until the end. I definitely got my confidence back today.”
Nishikori jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set by winning five straight games, including two breaks of serve.
The 2012 and 2014 Japan Open champion stayed aggressive and led 4-2 in the second set en route to improving his head-to-head record against Thompson to 3-1.
The match ended when Thompson double-faulted when trailing 15-40.
“I knew it was going to be a battle,” Nishikori said. “I played aggressive. I didn’t make too many unforced errors. For my side, it was almost perfect.”
“I played exceptionally well. If I can continue to play like today, I might be able to give a good fight to the top 10 players.”
Nishikori will next play 14th-ranked Holger Rune of Denmark, who defeated Yoshihito Nishioka, the highest-ranked Japanese player at No. 59, hitting 11 aces in his 6-2, 6-4 victory.
“It’s going to be the first time playing Kei,” the 21-year-old Rune said. “I’m looking forward to it. He’s a great player. He’s been great for many, many years. Obviously I watched him a lot when I was a kid.”
Also on Saturday in the hard-court ATP 500 event, Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic defeated Tommy Paul of the United States 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4).
In the men’s wheelchair division, Paralympic gold medalist Tokito Oda moved into Sunday’s final against Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Japanese compatriot Takashi Sanada.
Tennis: Morale-boosting win sends Nishikori into Japan Open q’finals
