Kei Nishikori cruise into French Open third round after easy victory | Tennis News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Kei Nishikori cruise into French Open third round after easy victory

Reuters | By, Paris
May 25, 2016 05:36 PM IST

Japan’s Kei Nishikori maintained his impressive clay-court form to outclass Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3 6-3 6-3 in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori maintained his impressive clay-court form to outclass Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3 6-3 6-3 in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday.

Japan's Kei Nishikori returns the ball to Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov during their men's second round match.(AFP Photo)
Japan's Kei Nishikori returns the ball to Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov during their men's second round match.(AFP Photo)

The fifth seed, a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros last year, had too much in his armoury for 40th-ranked Kuznetsov on a sun-bathed Court One, although Nishikori got off to a slow start.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

He dropped serve in the third game of the match but broke back twice to take the opening set.

Kuznetsov’s double-fault gave him a break in the fifth game of the second set. He moved 5-2 ahead with some punishing groundstrokes, then dropped serve himself as he served for a two-set lead.

That was only a minor inconvenience. Nishikori broke Kuznetsov’s serve in the next game with sweetly struck forehand winner. Nishikori was well inside his comfort zone as he sealed the win with sublime backhand.

Nishikori, whose only defeats on clay this year came in the Barcelona final against Rafael Nadal and in Madrid and Rome where he was stopped in the semis by Novak Djokovic, will face Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the third round. Verdasco crushed Croatia’s Ivan Dodig.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On