9th seed Kei Nishikori became the second high-profile seed to exit the tournament after Stan Wawrinka.
The Japanese star was beaten by the Spanish 18th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 in nearly three and a half hours.
Nishikori’s record on grass leaves a lot to be desired. It remains his worst grand slam with only a pair of fourth round efforts compared to a minimum of at least the quarter-finals in the other slams.
Nishikori also does not look comfortable on the surface. He has retired from Wimbledon in each of the last two years with calf and hip problems, and also retired from the Halle tournament before Wimbledon.
Bautista Agut has not had the best of seasons himself, but perhaps buoyed by his opponent’s discomfort took the first two sets. The Spaniard proved clutch in the big moments, saving eight break points across the first two sets.
Nishikori was backed by a big group of fans, and he worked hard to break early in the third. He then took the set.
Nishikori then broke early in the fourth and it briefly looked as if a fifth set may be required. Nishikori quickly surrendered the break back though, and was then broken again in the eighth game.
The final set had moved to a baseline style that both these men were more comfortable with, and Bautista Agut served out the match with a love service hold.
Baustista Agut will face the winner of the match between Marin Cilic and Steve Johnson.
