Kei Nishikori beat Cameron Norrie 6-3 3-6 6-2 in the quarter finals of the Bank of China Hong Kong Open to reach his first ATP Tour semifinal since Washington in 2021.
Nishikori earned his first break in the eighth game to win the first set 6-3. Norrie broke in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead and claimed the second set 6-3 after saving a break point in the ninth game. Nishikori broke twice in the sixth and eighth games to win the third set 6-2.
Nishikori has improved his lead to 3-0 in his head-to-head matches against Norrie.
Nishikori will return to the top 100 for the first time since June 2022.
“Most of the match he played solid but gave me a few chances. I made more returns in the third set, played more aggressively and everything worked. It was a really tough match. It was only one break each in the first and second sets. It was a very close match. There were many tough moments where I forced through. I played aggressive enough”, said Nishikori.
Nishikori set up a semifinal match against China’s Shang Juncheng, who came back from one set down to beat Fabian Maroszan 1-6 6-3 6-4 after 1 hour and 45 minutes. The 19-year-old Chinese player is 16 years younger than Nishikori.
Maroszan won five consecutive games with two breaks in the fourth and sixth games to win the opening set 6-1. Shang broke in the fourth game to open up a 4-1 lead and saved four break points in the sixth game before serving out the second set with a hold at 30. Shang broke serve in the fifth game and saved two break points to hold serve at deuce in sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. The Chinese player served out the win on his first match point.
Shang has become the first teenager to break into the top 100. He reached a career-high of world number 47 after winning his first ATP Tour title in Chengdu.
“I am very happy and again today I didn’t make the best start but kept fighting”, said Shang.
Jaume Munar came back from one set down to beat Lorenzo Musetti 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 in 2 hours and 38 minutes.
Musetti broke twice in the third and fifth games to win the first set 6-2. The Italian player did not convert break points in the fifth and eleventh games of the second set. Munar raced out to a 5-0 lead in the tie-break. Musetti pulled one break back for 3-5 but Munar sealed the tie-break 7-4 with his third mini-break.
Munar went up a break twice but Musetti pulled back on serve to draw level to 2-2 in the third set. Munar broke serve in the 11th game and saved two break points before sealing the win on his second match point. Munar leads Musetti 2-1 in their head-to-head matches. The Spaniard is aiming to win his first ATP Tour title after reaching the final in Marbella in 2021.
Munar set up a semifinal clash against Frenchman Alexandre Muller, who came back from one set down to beat Arthur Fils 3-6 6-3 6-1. Muller reached his second tour-level semifinal.
Fils broke serve in the fourth game to win the first set 6-3. Muller broke in the second game and saved five break points and four more break points in the fifth game. Fils converted his third break-back point in the seventh game. Muler broke at love in the eighth game to win the second set 6-3. Fils converted just one of his twelve break points. Muller broke three times to win the third set 6-1.
Muller, who beat Fils at the Rome Masters 1000, had to fight back after losing the first set in his three matches so far in Hong Kong. “Now, when I lose the first set, I say: ‘OK, the match is just starting”, said Muller.
