On a day when most of the highest seeded players comfortably progressed to the third round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Kei Nishikori delivered a timely reminder that he still belongs in that company.
Nishikori, the former world No 4 now ranked 40, thoroughly deserved his 6-3, 7-6 win over Belgian fifth seed David Goffin on Tuesday. It was his fourth win over Goffin from as many meetings.
The 31-year-old from Japan has spent most of his illustrious career among the top seeds but multiple injuries over the past few years have caused the inevitable setbacks.
His form in Dubai so far, though, is providing encouraging signs that Nishikori can continue to trend upward.
After beating the tall, big-serving Reilly Opelka in the first round, he then defeated the diminutive, quick baseliner Goffin. Two vastly opposing playing styles, two wins for Nishikori.
Granted, he made it difficult for himself having served twice for the victory only to get broken, but Nishikori more than made up for it in a dominant tiebreak.
“I was a little bit tight especially on match point," he said. "He started to play much better from the middle of the second set and I had plenty of pressure on my serve. He was stepping up a little more and playing more aggressive, which made me more defensive. It was a close game and I think if it went three sets it would’ve been much tougher.”
For Nishikori, every victory takes him another step closer to recapturing past glories. A 12-time winner on the ATP Tour, a Grand Slam finalist, and Olympic bronze medallist, Nishikori has already achieved more in his career than most players can dream. As a superstar in his native Japan, he's also earned a few dollars over the years, too.
Still, he insists he is far from finished and believes his injury setbacks are just a precursor to the next chapter of his career. Next up for the 2014 US Open finalist in Dubai is Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene.
"I just think of it as a second journey," said Nishikoro, who next faces Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene. "I had an elbow surgery two years ago and a shoulder injury end of last year so I couldn’t play for three to four months. I've had many injuries.
.@keinishikori wins after an amazing match against Goffin! 6-3, 7-6! @atptour #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/M4N4NWh5hg
— Dubai Tennis Champs (@DDFTennis) March 16, 2021
"I’ve got to be happy, though. I’ve been playing well the last two weeks. For sure, my goal is to get back to top 10, top five hopefully. I know it’s going to be a long road because everyone is playing well.”
Earlier on Centre Court, third seed Denis Shapovalov got his Dubai debut up and running in emphatic style by thrashing Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 6-3.
Germany's Struff reached last year's quarter-finals and had won their previous four meetings, so this was hardly an ideal matchup for the 21-year-old Canadian. As it transpired, Shapovalov cruised to victory in just over an hour to set up a third round tie with Polish 13th seed Hubert Hurkacz.
"I've had difficulties with him in the past, so I knew it was going to be a tough match for me," the world No 12 said. "But I feel any match is a new match and it's always starting from zero so the past doesn't really mean much.
"I definitely played very well. I was just trying to pick my target on my serve to be honest, playing the way I've been playing in practise. I didn't really change my game plan compared to the other times I played him."
Following Shapovalov on to Centre Court, second seed Andrey Rublev also punched his ticket into the third round, but the Russian faced a sterner test from Finnish qualifier Emil Ruusuvuori in his 6-4, 6-4 win that contained a single break of serve in each set.
The world No 8 will play American Taylor Fritz for a placei n the quarter-finals after the 15th seed edged out Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili.
In the final match of the day, top seed Dominic Thiem slumped to a shock defeat. The Austrian world No 4 and reigning US Open champion went down 6-3, 6-4 to South African qualifier Lloyd Harris.
“That was like a missile!” 🎾🚀 Hot shots by @AndreyRublev97 as he extends his ATP 500 winning streak to 21 matches with a 6-4, 6-4 win vs. Emil Ruusuvuori.@atptour #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/cQV3nRj3jZ
— Dubai Tennis Champs (@DDFTennis) March 16, 2021
