Kei Nishikori has been one of the outstanding youngsters on the ATP tour for a few years now, but it only in the last 12 months that he really made his mark, challenging the big guns and fighting for the big wins. His most notable result came in Basel where he beat then world number 1, Novak Djokovic, in the semis, before losing the final to local royalty, Roger Federer. He continued his excellent run in Australia, where he became the first Japanese player in the Open Era to reach the quarterfinals in Melbourne.
Although this has been a pretty consistent season, nothing much happened after the Australian Open and Kei was yet to obtain a groundbreaking performance, something that would attest his newly found presence in the top 20. Things improved slightly at the start of the Asian swing, as Nishikori reached the semis in Kuala Lumpur where he lost a nail-biter against eventual champion, Argentinean Juan Monaco. He carried the momentum on to Tokyo, his home tournament, a venue where the immense pressure that rested on his shoulders impeded him from obtaining a great result in the past.
Cheered by the partisan crowd, Kei shocked second-seeded Czech, Tomas Berdych, in the quarterfinals before overcoming Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis to set up a final showdown with Canadian powerhouse, Milos Raonic. Relying on some inspired returns and aggressive tactics, the Japanese showed nerves of steal to comeback and win the decider 6-0, collecting thus his second career title. He also became the first Japanese player to claim the Tokyo crown.
"To win a (ATP) 500 title in Japan has special meaning. Until now I had never been able to play well in Japan. There was so much pressure. I thought I lacked mental toughness. Being able to break through that barrier playing my best tennis was amazing. I still can't believe it," said Nishikori, who is projected to rise from 17th to 15th in the world rankings on Monday. "This week I probably played the best tennis of my life. Breaking into the top 10 is the goal now," he added.
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| Petit Japanese, Kei Nishikori, showed just how big his game is, overcoming big-hitter Canadian Milos Raonic 7-6,3-6,6-0 to win his hometown tournament in Tokyo. |
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