Nishikori battles on in D.C

 

Originally published on 05/08/17 00:00

The Japanese, the highest ranked player ranked in the competition, fought back from the brink as he saved three-match points to oust the home-favourite and set up a last four meeting with Alexander Zverev, who eased to a 6-2 6-4 win over Daniil Medvedev.

“I tried to stay aggressive and stay focused every on every point, even though I was down 5-3 in the second set,” said Nishikori. “I’m really happy with how I battled today and it was a really tough match. He [Paul] served very well and was solid from the baseline so it wasn’t easy, especially as it was windy today as well.

"He got a little bit tight trying to close it out in the end and I didn't make any unforced errors on the big points. Experience helped me through today."

Thanasi Kokkinakis’ comeback gathered pace as he reached his first ATP final after an excellent 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4 success over top seed, Tomas Berdych, in Los Cabos, Mexico.

The Australian will play Sam Querrey – who won the title in Acapulco earlier this year – in the final. The American overcame Damir Dzumhur 3-6 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes.

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