ATP Atlanta: Kei Nishikori returns with victory!
Kei Nishikori made a successful start on his comeback on the "big" ATP tour with a 7: 6 (5) and 7: 6 (5) against Jordan Thompson.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jul 25, 2023, 08:29 pm
Jordan Thompson had made arrangements for the eleven o'clock local time start in Atlanta. The Australian walked onto center court with a healthy layer of sunscreen. Which in the end didn't help him in terms of play either: Because Thompson had to admit defeat to Kei Nishikori on his comeback on the ATP tour 6: 7 (5) and 6: 7 (5).
Nishikori, who has been sidelined for the entire 2022 season with injuries, has been building momentum at three Challenger tournaments over the past few weeks. Albeit against not particularly strong competition (except once for Alex Michelsen, to whom Nishikori lost in the quarterfinals in Chicago). In Atlanta, the now 33-year-old Nishikori is now waiting for the winner of the game between Ben Shelton and Juncheng Shang.
The tableau in the 1996 Olympic city is led by Taylor Fritz ahead of Alex de Minaur and Daniel Evans. With Gael Monfils, a second comeback just failed yesterday because of Thanasi Kokkinakis.