Kei Nishikori thrilled his home fans as the US Open finalist posted a 6-3, 6-4 opening victory over Ivan Dodig on Wednesday to reach the second round of the Japan Open.
The fourth-seeded Nishikori could do no wrong at the Ariake Colosseum, where the roof was closed due to intermittent rain after two days of sunshine in the capital.
Nishikori, last week’s champion in Kuala Lumpur, next faces Donald Young after beating the American in both of their previous ATP matches. He beat Dodig for the second time this season after a win in Madrid.
“Winning Kuala Lumpur gave me more confidence. I try not to pay attention to the crowd or what the opponent is doing, but it’s always good to play at home. I can feel the support here,” said the Japanese.
“I was playing well with confidence and my serve was working. He’s a tough opponent who gets all the balls back. I played well on some of the big points and got the win.”
Japan’s top player is working to become the first Asian man to qualify for the eight-strong field at London’s ATP World Tour finals in November. Nishikori currently stands provisional sixth with five spots in the field still to be filled over the next month of regular-season ATP play.
Wednesday’s victory took his 2014 record to 45 wins and 10 defeats.
Nishikori spent just under 90 minutes earning his victory against an increasingly frustrated Dodig, who became frustrated with both the ballboys and the Hawkeye computerised line calling system.
“I didn’t really notice what he was doing,” said Nishikori. “I have to stay focused on just my own game.”
Nishikori was out-aced 6-2 by the 61st-ranked Croatian, who saved two match points in the penultimate game.
Nishikori took the opening set in 38 minutes thanks to a break for 5-3 as he took the early lead. The Japanese player went down a break, 1-3 in the second set, but levelled again with a break back in the fifth game.
The Asian, watched by famed part-time coach Michael Chang, then tacked on an insurance break for 4-3 and closed out victory three games later on his third match point as he wrong-footed Dodig to end the afternoon.
“I felt more pressure in New York, it was my first grand slam final,” said the 2012 Tokyo champion. “I could really feel the crowd support.”
France’s Gilles Simon came from a set and a break down to overhaul Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3. He will play American Steve Johnson, who defeated Spain’s Marcel Granollers 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, a 10-ace performance for the winner which took just under two hours.
Johnson was joined as a winner by compatriot Jack Sock as the Wimbledon doubles champion beat Kazakh Andrey Golubev 6-3, 1-6, 7-5.
Local upstart Tatsuma Ito, coming off a major upset of Stan Wawrinka on Tuesday, was dropped 3-6, 3-6 by Benjamin Becker.
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Key facilities
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SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
