Nishikori rallies to win opener in Rotterdam

Rotterdam, Feb. 13: Top seed Kei Nishikori was tested by a stubborn opponent before finally putting away Pierre- Hugues Herbert 3- 6, 6- 1, 6- 4 on Tuesday at the Rotterdam Open.

The Japanese world number seven needed an hour and a quarter to get on track against a player who had reached the Montpellier final barely 48 hours earlier against JoWilfried Tsonga. Second seed Karen Khachanov, winner of the Paris Masters title last November, fell in a shock to Dutch wildcard Tallon Griekspoor, who recovered for a 3- 6, 6- 3, 6- 2 upset of the Russian.

The defeat leaves Khachanov winless here in three attempts. Victory marked the second Rotterdam upset for the 211th- ranked local, who put out Stan Wawrinka a year ago in his hometown for his first career ATP Tour- level win.

Nishikori finally earned his first break well into the evening against Herbert, taking a 3- 1 lead in the second set after dropping the first. That opened the floodgates, with Asia's top player quickly finding his recovery mode to run out the tight first- round victory after two hours and 10 minutes, saving break points as he served out the win.

Nishikori could not have asked for a more difficult Rotterdam debut as he faced the 36th- ranked Frenchman. “It wasn’t easy, as he was playing good tennis and serving well,” Nishikori said.

“I had a little bit of trouble with my return game and couldn’t convert the important points. I just tried to play steady. I tried to stay aggressive.”

Victory sent Nishikori to 9- 1 this season after starting 2019 with a Brisbane title and an Australian Open quarter- final appearance. He was forced to quit his match in Melbourne against Novak Djokovic in the second set due to a knee problem, cured by rest over the past two weeks in Florida.

Nishikori next faces Ernests Gulbis, who beat Marius Copil 6- 2, 6- 4 in a battle of qualifying lucky losers. “He’s not easy, especially indoors where he uses his great serve and aggressive play. I just need to stay focused and get used to the conditions,” Nishikori said.

It wasn’t easy, as he was playing good tennis and serving well. I had a little bit of trouble with my return game and couldn’t convert the important points. I tried to stay aggressive. KEI NISHIKORI

Tennis player