Go Soeda upsets Kei Nishikori to enter semis – BB&T Atlanta Open 2012
In an all-Japanese affair, eighth seeded Go Soeda shocked his top compatriot, Kei Nishikori, with a breadstick at the BB&T Atlanta Open 2012 on Friday. He penned down a 6-2, 6-1 victory against the Asian number one to cruise into the final four at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event taking place at the Atlantic Station in Johns Creek.
Soeda showed exceptional skills to outsmart the third seed in straight sets in their first encounter. After earning the glory in one hour and 12 minutes, the lower ranked Japanese not only edged in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against Nishikori but also powered into the semi-finals.
“Actually I don’t want to beat Kei because we are good friends,” Soeda was quoted after the match. “This is tough to have to play. I think he was more nervous. I was nervous too, but his ranking is high. I have nothing to lose. I think it is easier to win.”
The 27-year-old confidently stepped on the Georgian hard courts and held his serve in the opening game to take the initial lead. After Nishikori plucked his serve in the fourth game, the lower seed blasted powerful groundstrokes and wiped out the last four games successively. He blocked all three breakpoints he came across and cashed in both break chances to record a 6-2 success.
Ranked 54th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Soeda maintained his intensity in the follow-up set. After Nishikori kept his serve in the second game, the Japanese veteran reeled off the last five games in a row, eventually pulling out the set with a breadstick. He again brilliantly warded off all four breakpoints he faced and cashed in both break opportunities to bag the match.
Overall, the lower ranked Japanese clobbered a poor first serve share of 44 per cent in contrast with his compatriot’s 66 per cent but magnificently availed 21 out of 27 points on it.
Next in line for Soeda is the Luxembourgian star, Gilles Muller, who eased past Australia’s Matthew Ebden in straight sets to set up this battle.
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