MADRID – Kei Nishikori stunned defending champion Roger Federer with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 upset victory on Thursday in the third round of the Madrid Open.
The 16th-ranked Nishikori held his own against former world No. 1 Federer from the beginning. He managed a crucial break in the fifth game and held serve comfortably to take a one-set advantage.
Though Federer leveled the match with a commanding second set, Nishikori buckled down in the third with solid ground strokes and a reliable serve. The Japanese ace scored two unanswered break points and secured a three-set victory in 1 hour, 35 minutes.
“It’s a great feeling (to defeat Federer),” Nishikori said. “This has always been a goal in my tennis career.”
In their only previous match, two years ago in Basel, Switzerland, the Swiss won 6-1, 6-3.
“I think it’s one of the happiest moments in tennis to beat a player you’ve been watching and admiring for so long,” Nishikori said.
“Federer played phenomenal tennis in the second set. He was unstoppable. But I was glad that in the third set I could hold serve and come up with clutch shots when I needed them.”
Federer is the second giant to fall in Madrid after Tuesday’s ousting of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
The 23-year-old Nishikori now holds a career record of 8-18 against top-10 ranked players. He will face Spanish wildcard Pablo Andujar in the quarterfinals.
source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp
Tags: Feder, Nishikori, upsets
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