Kei Nishikori dumps Igor Sijsling in the first round – Hall of Fame tennis Championships 2012
Seeded second in the draw, Japan’s Kei Nishikori beat Igor Sijsling of Netherlands in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Tuesday. The event is being held on the grass
courts of International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, USA.
Nishikori and Sijsling started by breaking each other’s opening serve to equalise the score at 1-1. The Japanese hit a blow to his Dutch opponent again in the third game and consolidated on it to go up 3-1. Nishikori did not allow
Sijsling to bounce back and grabbed it 6-4.
The top Japanese player did not serve that well, as he failed to hit any ace and committed two double faults. The right-hander kept his first serve percentage at 69 and pocketed 13 of the 18 points on them. The 22-year-old gave
his best performance on the second returns, winning nine of the 13 points.
Nishikori and Sijsling made a stable beginning in the second set, winning their serve in the opening six games and squaring off the score at 3-3. The Japanese player snatched a break in the seventh but Sijsling hit back immediately
to even it out at 4-4. Just like the opening set, Nishikori claimed a breakthrough in the very next game and made the most of to win 6-4.
The Florida, USA resident failed to smack any ace once again but made only one double fault this time. His other serve statistics were also not brilliant like the opener but his performance on the replies to his rival’s second
deliveries remained remarkable, as he secured seven of the 11 points on them in the second set.
During the post match press conference, Nishikori said, “It wasn’t my best honestly, even though I was up in the score. But I’m happy to win today. The grass is a little softer than Wimbledon. It bounces low, so you have to get
down. I think everyone has started using slice, so you have to be careful.”
The Japanese national has attained a star status in his native country since giving some brilliant performances in the last 12 months, rising to the top 20 in ATP Rankings.
He added, "Everything changed in Japan and other countries. I'm feeling a little bit of tension, but it's something you don't get normally. It's good. Everybody knows me on the street or whatever in the tournament, that kind of
stuff."
Nishikori will play the world number 104, Olivier Rochus of Belgium, in the second round.
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