MIAMI, Feb 17: Teenager Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese to reach an ATP final in nearly 16 years after a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 victory over American Sam Querrey at the Delray Beach International on Saturday.
The unseeded Nishikori, who had to qualify for the main draw, came back from 6-3 down in the third set tiebreak to win it 9-7 and he will play top seed James Blake in the final on Sunday.
Both players broke serve in the third set but it was the 18-year-old Nishikori, in his first ATP semi-final, who went on to triumph over third seed Querrey with some inspired tennis.
Shuzo Matsuoka was the last Japanese to reach an ATP final when he lost at Queen’s Club, London in June 1992.
Matsuoka was also the last Japanese to land an ATP singles title, winning in Seoul in April 1992.
Nishikori came to attention last year when he reached the quarter-finals in his second ATP tournament in Indianapolis.
The teenager, who studies at the famous Bolletieri Academy in Florida after he moved to the US as a 14-year-old, came into this week’s event ranked 244th in the world.
Despite receiving over 150 emails in the past 24 hours, according to his agent, Nishikori said he would not be calling home to his family in Japan.
“Every time I call them, the next day I go and lose so I don’t talk to them after matches,” he said.
Blake proved far too strong for fellow American Robby Ginepri, easing to a 6-4, 6-4 victory in just 72 minutes.
MOYA OVERCOMES CHALLENGE
RIO DE JANEIRO: Top seed Carlos Moya of Spain survived a late challenge to defeat Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) on Saturday and qualify for the final of the Brasil Open.
Moya next will face No 2 seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain, who stormed past Italy’s Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-1.
Moya, ranked 17th by the ATP, had five aces and won 72 percent of his service points to beat the Lapentti.
Almagro, a two-time tournament champion needed only 55 minutes to dispose of Fognini, playing in his career first ATP semi-final.
Almagro, who was only 49 percent on his first serve, converted five of seven break-point opportunities, while the 20-year-old Fognini complained that he felt poorly and summoned the physio between sets.
The 23-year-old Almagro has won two career ATP titles, one in each of the past two years. He has won one of three meetings against Moya.
MURRAY IN FINAL
MARSEILLE (France): British No 1 Andy Murray stormed into the Marseille Open final with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu on Saturday.
World No 11 Murray, seeded fourth in the indoor event, was facing Croatia’s Mario Ancic in Sunday’s final.
Ancic, who dropped out of the top 100 after missing most of last season with glandular fever, knocked out sixth seed Marcos Baghdatis 6-4 6-2 in the other semi-final.
After breaking his opponent in the first game and again in the fifth, Murray underlined his determination by winning his last service game of the first set to love.
Playing close to perfection, Murray captured Mathieu’s serve again in the third game of the second set.
Murray stayed on top with another break in the seventh game and then served for the match, earning three match points with an ace. Mathieu survived the first but netted a backhand on the second to bow out after 62 minutes.
The other semi-final was tighter at first, both players holding serve until Ancic broke Baghdatis in the ninth game before wrapping up the first set on his service game.
Ancic, a losing finalist in Marseille in 2006, stepped up a gear in the second set, relying on booming serves to cruise to victory.
CLOSE CALL FOR HENIN
ANTWERP (Belgium): World No 1 Justine Henin recovered from an early scare to beat qualifier Timea Bacsinszky 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday and reach the final of the Antwerp Diamond Games.In Sunday’s final, Henin will face unseeded Italian Karin Knapp, the world number 47, who beat China’s Li Na in 6-4, 7-6 in the second semi-final.
The top seed and local favourite looked to be heading for a shock exit after a poor first set but made amends in the second against the Swiss teenager, ranked 94th in the world.
Henin, who broke in the fourth game of the third set, said she had not been surprised at Bacsinszky’s resilience.—Agencies
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