Tennis bits: ‘Three sets and some good tennis’ get Kei Nishikori going at Kooyong

Kei Nishikori got off to a winning start at the eight-man Kooyong Classic on Wednesday and Australian Open qualification got underway in Melbourne.

Kei Nishikori of Japan hits a backhand return during a training session in Melbourne on Tuesday ahead of the Australian Open. William West / AFP / January 13, 2015

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Kooyong Classic

Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco scored a pair of opening victories amid a “little typhoon” to begin final Australian Open preparations at the Kooyong Classic on Wednesday.

US Open finalist Nishikori fought past a tough Australian challenge from Jordan Thompson to post a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) result while Verdasco beat Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-2, 7-6 (7/4).

Nishikori, ranked fifth in the world, was forced to work hard in swirling conditions at Kooyong Club for just over two hours.

“It was tough for both of us – like a little typhoon out there,” said the Tokyo-born player now based in Florida. “But it was a good match for me: three sets and some good tennis.”

The eight-man warm-up event for the Australian Open starting on Monday is considered prime preparation for the first major of the season.

“Conditions made it tough to play,” added the 25-year-old Nishikori.

“It was difficult for me to be aggressive. But I played a good tie-break and I’m happy to win today.”

Verdasco also took charge of his game as he was tested by the weather.

The 33rd-ranked Spaniard collected the first set against Simon in 27 minutes and thwarted the Frenchman as Simon served to level at a set each.

Instead, he was broken to love, with Verdasco eventually winning a tie-breaker on a concluding Simon backhand error.

“This wind is tough for everyone,” said the Spaniard. “You need to be focused and hit every ball with confidence – if not it flies everywhere.

“Despite the conditions, this is perfect preparation for the Open. I like the hot conditions but you never know here.”

Nishikori came to Kooyong after a semi-final last weekend in Brisbane, where he lost to Canadian Milos Raonic in three tie-break sets.

After winning the opening set thanks to a break in the first game, Nishikori’s level slipped as Australian world No 273 Thompson made his move in the second set, winning it via a break of serve in the fourth game.

The third set was halted for a short time due to a passing shower.

When the players returned Nishikori failed to serve out for victory at 5-3, the set eventually going to a tie-break after Thompson saved a match point in the 12th game.

Nishikori took his first match point in the tie-break as the Australian double-faulted.

Later matches saw Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov top Serbian youngster Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-3 and and another Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez fall to Richard Gasquet of France 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 2-6.

ATP Auckland

The Auckland Open suffered a double blow on Wednesday when third seed Roberto Bautista Agut withdrew during his second round match against Adrian Mannarino, while fifth seed Tommy Roberdo pulled out without hitting a ball.

Agut, who was reportedly suffering from jet lag after he made the Chennai Open semi-finals, withdrew while trailing Mannarino 6-2, 2-1 shortly after Robredo had held a media conference saying he would not play at all.

The 32-year-old Robredo withdrew from his second round match with New Zealand’s Michael Venus with an adductor injury, which could place his Australian Open in jeopardy.

“Two days ago I was in the gym working hard and then practicing and suddenly I felt something in my adductor,” Robredo told reporters in Auckland.

“I have been one and a half days without practice and trying to recover to play here but I’m not ready to play a match.

“I don’t think it’s fair for the players or the tournament to go onto a court and play four or five games and as soon as I feel something withdraw.

“I wouldn’t be able to play here good and the people would be disappointed and also it could make me worse for next week.”

The world No 17 follows last year’s champion John Isner (fatigue), France’s Gael Monfils (personal reasons) and four-time champion David Ferrer, who won last week’s Qatar Open, to withdraw from the ATP Tour 250-level event.

After initially attracting seven of the top-20 players, world No 16 Kevin Anderson is the only one left in the draw on Wednesday.

South Africa’s Anderson had earlier advanced to the quarter-finals after he overcame Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, while world No 13 Ernests Gulbis, who had also survived to Wednesday, was beaten 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 by Jiri Vesely.

Tournament director Karl Budge was disappointed with the loss of so many players, though the late withdrawals were not the only issue. Many of the top men had opted not to play in the week prior to the season-opening grand slam at Melbourne Park.

“You’re seeing less top-20 players our week and it’s a trend that crept in the last four or five years,” Budge said when Ferrer withdrew on Sunday.

“We need to look at something, whether that’s the tour trying to find a way to regulate it more or we look at how we can change.”

The others to reach the quarter-finals, along with Anderson, on Wednesday were Lucas Pouille (world No 136), Albert Ramos (61), Vesely (63), Donald Young (56), Mannarino (44) and Alejandro Falla (112), as well as Steve Johnson (39), who will play Anderson.

Australian Open qualification

Qualification began on Wednesday for the men’s Australian Open tournament, with Michael Berrer – a recent winner over Rafael Nadal at the Qatar Open – among those moving on.

Five Australians – teenagers Marc Polmans, 17, Omar Jasika, 17 and Blake Mott, 18 as well as Dane Propoggia and John Patrick Smith – advanced for a chance to enter the main Australian Open draw.

Other winners included veterans Thiemo De Bakker, Lukasz Kubot, Aleksandr Nedovyesov, Ilya Marchenko, Alexander Kudryavtsev, Jimmy Wang, Tim Smyczek, Jurgen Melzer, Steve Darcis, Andreas Beck and Michal Przyiezny, among others.

Losers of note included French world No 107 Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Nicolas Mahut (114), Horacio Zeballos (124), Norbert Gombos (125), Evgeny Donskoy (129), Benoit Paire (134), Alexander Zverev (137), Somdev Devvarman (139), Rajeev Ram (140), Gastao Elias (143), and Frank Dancevic (145).

Swiss 18-year-old Elias Ymer, coming off an ATP Tour victory over Igor Sijsling in Chennai last week, knocked out Frenchman Paire.

ATP Sydney

Juan Martin del Potro continued to chug along in his return to tennis on Wednesday at the Sydney International, fighting off top seed Fabio Fognini for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win.

It was an impressive bounceback from the first-set loss for the former US Open champion, who has missed the last year of competition following wrist surgery and recovery.

Having fallen all the way to 338 in the world rankings, the former world No 4 looks well on his way back after defeating the world No 18 Italian Fognini.

Del Potro advances to the Sydney quarter-finals now, where he will face Mikhail Kukushkin,who himself won on Wednesday over sixth-seeded Pablo Cuevas in straight sets 7-5, 7-5.

The other quarter-final in that half of the draw will be contested by fourth seed Julien Benneteau, who beat Vasek Pospisil, and fifth seed Leonardo Mayer, who defeated Jerzy Janowicz.

Also on Wednesday Simone Bolleli dominated rising young Belgian David Goffin 6-3, 6-3 to meet Serbian Viktor Troicki, who noted a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Pablo Andujar.

Later Wednesday the last two quarter-final places will be determined when Jeremy Chardy plays Gilles Muller and Bernard Tomic faces Philipp Kohlschreiber.

WTA Sydney

Karolina Pliskova and Tsvetana Pironkova reached the semi-finals of the Sydney International on Wednesday, both with wins over higher-ranked opponents.

Pliskova scored a nice win, recovering from a first set loss and defeating world No 17 Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

World No 67 Pironkova meanwhile dusted off world No 25 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova with little challenge in a 6-4, 6-1 result.

The final two places in the semi-finals will be determined later on Wednesday between either Petra Kvitova or Jarmila Gajdosova and Garbine Muguruza or Angelique Kerber.

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