Kei Nishikori spoke about his unique rivalry with Marin Cilic after he defeated the Croatian 6-4 3-6 6-3 in Tokyo.
Nishikori made his return to Japan with a three set win against the in-form Cilic, who claimed the Hangzhou title last week.
The Japanese star was competing in his first tournament on home soil for six years and ensured it was a victorious return.
In what was their 16th meeting against each other, Nishikori spoke glowingly about the rivalry, “Playing Cilic is [special]. We have played many great matches and I know I have had a tough time in the past two years and I have been in the same situation,” Nishikori told the ATP website.
“There were a couple of special moments for me. Playing here here is special for me. I haven’t played here in a long time. I was happy to play against Marin and very happy to win.”
Now the former world number four will play Jordan Thompson in the second round after the Australian knocked out Casper Ruud in straight sets.
It’s been a torrid last couple of weeks for Ruud who will now aim to improve his form quickly ahead of a charge towards qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
Here is the full list of second round matches in Tokyo which will be played across Friday and Saturday:
Arthur Fils v Matteo Berrettini
Mariano Navone v Ben Shelton
Jordan Thompson v Kei Nishikori
Yoshihito Nishioka v Holger Rune
Tommy Paul v Tomas Machac
Christopher O’Connell v Alex Michelsen
Brandon Nakashima v Ugo Humbert
Jack Draper v Hubert Hurkacz
