Kei Nishikori beaten by Sam Querrey in the second round – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012
Inform Japanese player, Kei Nishikori, could not match his last week’s performance, as he lost to the world number 22, Sam Querrey of USA, in three sets 6-2, 1-6, 4-6 in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old became the first local player to win Japan Open last week but he sustained a right ankle injury during that process. Nishikori looked in complete control in the first set of his match against Querrey but that ankle
problem started to trouble him later on. The Japanese star also called a physio at the end of the first set but even that did not help him.
Nishikori made an ideal start, as he broke the American contestant in the very first game and held his following serve to take a 2-0 lead. The Japanese player did not stop there, hitting another blow to Querrey in the third and
consolidating on it to stretch his advantage to 4-0. Nishikori gave no chance to his opponent to get back into it, triumphing 6-2.
The Japanese number one could not carry the winning momentum into the second set, losing opening three games to trail 0-3. The right-hander succeeded in opening his account by holding his serve in the fourth but he dropped three
in a row after that to lose 1-6.
Nishikori showed the high level of his fighting spirit, as he gathered energy to win four of the first five games in the final set, moving ahead 4-1. However, the condition of Nishikori’s ankle aggravated after that and he failed
to play at the same level. The Japanese player lost five games in a row to go down 4-6.
Telling reporters about his injury, Nishikori said, "It was bothering me from last week, the whole week. Even yesterday it was hurting. But I played through. It was already hurting during the first set so I took a medical (timeout).
I tried to play but he had a good serve. I broke him first in the third set but couldn't finish the match. It's disappointing but I was close to winning with this injury. Nothing I can do."
He added, "I have to handle pressure always, especially when you get a higher ranking and you play with the lower-ranking players. Yeah, it's going to be there, for sure, the pressure.”
Querrey will play the fourth seeded Czech participant, Tomas Berdych, in the round three.
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