Nishikori through to face Murray in French Open quarter-finals
Japanese comes back to knock out Verdasco
PARIS: Kei Nishikori admitted he couldn’t remember last year’s US Open upset of Andy Murray after booking a quarter-final rematch with the world No.1 at Roland Garros on Monday.
The Japanese star recovered from a dreadful start to beat veteran Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in the French Open fourth round to reach a seventh Grand Slam quarter-final.
Nishikori surpassed Jiro Satoh for the most quarter-final appearances by a Japanese man, as he made the last eight for the second time in three years in Paris.
He will take on Murray today for a place in the semi-finals, with the Briton prevailing in eight of their 10 previous meetings.
But Nishikori famously dumped the 2012 US Open champion out in New York last year after rallying from sets to one down.
“Sorry that I don’t remember much,” Nishikori responded when asked of the confidence he could draw from that fiveset victory.
“You know when we play it’s always a battle,” he added. “Yeah, for sure, it’s gonna be a tough one.
“We have been playing so many times. He’s great player. Very smart tennis player. It’s never easy, and I think this week he’s been playing well.”
Verdasco knocked out German ninth seed Alexander Zverev in the first round and looked like claiming another top-10 scalp when he raced through the opening set.
“I lost my mind, after 6-0 down I knew I had to change something,” said Nishikori.
“I couldn’t do anything first set but I tried to play deeper and more aggressive, and little by little I got better today.
“But still it was really, really tough battle. There was so many long rallies, second and third sets. I don’t know how I got the second and third.
“The fourth, I think it was perfect tennis I played. So, yeah, very tough battle but very happy to win today.”
Nishikori was playing for the third day running after his last-32 clash with South Korea’s Hyeon Chung was held up by rain.
“I’m a little bit sore. Three days in a row. Not easy. Long matches. But I’m sure it’s going to be okay. I have one day rest tomorrow [yesterday].”
Murray, who coasted into the last eight with a straight-sets win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov, knows Nishikori will represent his biggest test so far.
“Kei, you know, obviously lost against him at the US Open. He plays well on the clay. You know, very solid off both wings. Moves well, quick,” said Murray.
In today’s other men’s quarter-final, third seed Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland faces seventh-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia.
On Monday, Wawrinka beat France’s Gael Monfils 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 while Cilic defeated South Africa’s Kevin Anderson who retired after trailing 6-3, 3-0.
Wawrinka’s array of shots was too much to handle for a resurgent Monfils.
Wawrinka, who has reached the last eight of the tournament without dropping a set, next takes on Cilic for a place in the last four.
Looking ahead to his next opponent, the 2015 champion said: “Marin is playing very well here, playing very aggressive. We had some battles in the past, I think it is going to be important for me to prepare well, serve well, and dictate from the baseline.”
Cilic has flown under the radar since arriving in Paris but after reaching the French Open quarter-finals for the loss of 26 games he looms as a clear and present danger.
“Apart from at the US Open in 2014, I’m definitely feeling the best on the court,” Cilic, the first Croatian to reach the last eight since Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic in 2006, said.
“Even then I didn’t go through the draw as comfortably as here.”
At 1.98m and with a game built on power off the serve and forehand, the 2014 US Open winner does not look made for clay.
But he is a French Open junior champion and has two claycourt titles to his name, one of which came this year when he won the Istanbul tournament.