Sports

Kei Nishikori Captures Caribbean Open Title After a Long Layoff

In his first tournament in 20 months, wild-card entrant Kei Nishikori wrapped up a successful comeback in Puerto Rico with a methodical victory.

Published

10 months ago

June 19, 2023

Ed Odeven

Kei Nishikori celebrates his victory in the Caribbean Open men's singles final on June 18 in Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico. (KYODO)

Read the full story on SportsLook - Kei Nishikori Captures Caribbean Open Title After a Long Layoff

Kei Nishikori completed his memorable comeback tournament with a straight-sets victory over American teenager Michael Zheng on Sunday, June 18 in the Caribbean Open men's singles final.

Returning to competition for the first time since the BNP Paribas Open in October 2021, Nishikori recorded a 6-2, 7-5 triumph against his 19-year-old opponent in the ATP Challenger Tour event.

Nishikori, an unranked, wild-card participant in Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico, reached 492 in the world rankings by beating Zheng to cap a successful week.

A Look at the Match with Zheng

Entering the Caribbean Open, Columbia University student Zheng was ranked 1,118th. With his performance in Puerto Rico, Zheng climbed to 543 in the world rankings.

In their first head-to-head matchup, Nishikori converted 6 of 16 break points and won 59% of his service points (36-for-61).

Nishikori moved quickly on the court and hit powerful shots throughout the match. And he was alert and displayed acute court awareness in both sets. (Watch match highlights on YouTube.)

Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven.