TENNIS ATP TOKYO – Milos Raonic cruised past Giles Simon in straight sets with 6-1 6-4 to set up a final match against Kei Nishikori who battled past German Benjamin Becker in three sets with 6-4 0-6 7-6 (7-2) in a re-match of the 2012 final. Diego Sampaolo
In the first semifinal Milos Raonic beat Giles Simon to qualify for his third consecutive final in Tokyo. He lost in 2012 against Juan Martin Del Potro and in 2013 against Kei Nishikori who will be his rival in tomorrow’s final. Simon, who saved six match points against Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round, did not earn a single break point in the whole match.
Raonic and Simon played their third head-to-head match. Raonic won both previous matches in the third set at Oeiras in 2011 and in the fifth set at this year’s Roland Garros.
Raonic got a early break in the opening set. Only in the fifth game he won a game on his serve at deuce before getting a double break in the next game. Raonic saved five points for 4-2 before serving for the first set at 5-1. The Canadian player closed out the first set with 6-1 in just 31 minutes.
Raonic earned two break points in the fifth game of the second set with a forehand volley. Simon saved the first break point with his first ace of the match but he committed a double fault on the second break point. Raonic closed out the match with 6-1 6-4 in 70 minutes.
He will play against Kei Nishikori for the fifth time. Nishikori leads 3-1 in their previous head-t-head matches. Raonic won this year at Wimbledon but the Japanese player took a re-match in the fourth round at the 2014 US Open.
Nishikori qualified for the second time in the home tournament after his triumph in 2012 but this time he had to fight back from a set down to overcome Benjamin Becker with 4-6 6-0 7-6 (7-2).
Nishikori earned a break point in the fourth game at 2-1 but Becker saved it. Becker played a very good first set and converted his second break point in the seventh game to take a 4-3. The German held his serve and took the first set with 6-4 in 34 minutes.
Nishikori won the first game of the second set at deuce before breaking serve in the second game. The home hero won nine games to one and pulled away to 6-0 3-1 in the third set. Becker clawed his way back to 3-3. Both players played a fantastic third set which came down to the tie-break. Becker started well taking a mini-break but Nishikori broke back as Becker sent his forehand into the net. Nishikori reeled off five consecutive points to clinch a hard-fought match with 7-2 to reach the 11th final of his career. He collected six titles.
