Kei Nishikori defeats Rohan Bopanna to take Japan to 2-0 – Davis Cup World Group Play-offs 2011
Team Japan kept hunting the Indian competitors in the Davis Cup World Group playoffs, with 55th ranked Kei Nishikori registering a straight sets victory over Rohan Bopanna in the second rubber of the tie on Friday.
Nishikori took just one hour and thirty eight minutes to dispose of the bleak Indian opponent in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, taking his team to a substantial lead of 2-0 in the tie. The contest was played on the hard courts of
Ariake, Tokyo, Japan, with the home favourite Nishikori living up to the hopes of the local crowd.
The Japanese was absolutely ballistic in the contest and gave no chance to Bopanna to settle down in the game. It was the 24th victory for Nishikori in the current ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) season and
the first one against Bopanna, who defeated him in their last meeting in India.
The contest appeared pretty one-sided right from the beginning, with Bopanna struggling to get his eye in the game. The Indian was completely outplayed by the exceptional power hitting of Nishikori, who belted 10 winners in the
game in reply to Bopanna’s mere five.
Nishikori delivered 61 per cent of his serve on target and secured 10 out of 11 first serve points in the game to come out as the winner in the end. He took hold of the momentum in the opener and then never let the reins go in
the rest of the matchup. The Japanese has five opportunities to break his opponent’s serve in the contest and he right fully converted two of his chances to wrap up a straight sets victory.
Bopanna utterly failed to craft a single break opportunity and was worn out by his 13 unforced errors in the entire matchup. A total of 49 points were played in the contest, with Nishikori winning 31 and Bopanna ending on the losing
side with just 18 points.
Nishikori’s victory over Bopanna takes Japan to a 2-0 substantial lead in the tie and Team Japan now requires just one more win to dispose of India from the competition.
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