'It was hard to keep my focus,' Kei Nishikori still 100% over David Goffin

March 16, 2021

‘It was hard to keep my focus,’ Kei Nishikori maintains 100% record over David Goffin

Kei Nishikori has won yet another match on a surge of results by defeating David Goffin in the second round of Dubai.

Kei Nishikori beat David Goffin 6-3 7-6 in just under two hours to continue his impressive comeback to the ATP tour. The win means Nishikori now has a 4-0 record over the Belgian.

‘[In the] second set I think he pushed my service game a little bit,’ Nishikori said in his on-court interview. ‘I had deuce many times and for three games I think he played a little more aggressive. I made a couple of easy mistakes and he was back in the game.’

At 6-3 4-3 on Nishikori’s serve, the two men proceeded to exchange five breaks to take the second set to a tie-break, with the Japanese eventually prevailing.

‘It was my fault really. I had two chances at serving for the match, but I couldn’t finish. It was hard to maintain my focus, but I was happy to finish in two sets.’

Kei Nishikori will face Aljaz Bedene in the third round of Dubai next.