World No 4 Del Potro is still sidelined with a right knee injury sustained in Shanghai last month.
It was his first victory ever against a player ranked in the top two and it avenged the semi-final loss at the Rio Olympics where Murray went on to win gold and Nishikori settled for bronze.
The situation inside the "bubble" stood in sharp contrast to outside, with a surge in infections fuelled by the Delta variant hitting daily records and for the first time crossing 5,000 in the host city, threatening to overwhelm Tokyo's hospitals.
Roger Federer produced another masterly display to beat Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-2 and move a step closer to the semi-finals at the ATP World Tour Finals in London on Tuesday.
Tennis matches at the Ariake Tennis Park will begin from 3pm local time (0600 GMT) from Thursday, governing body International Tennis Federation said after requests from players who had struggled in the stifling weather.
Nadal no longer 'immovable' object in Paris.
Rafael Nadal's decision to end his season early means Cilic is actually holding the last berth for the eight-man showdown at London's O2 Arena.
The 32-year-old debutant at the ATP's blue riband event won the first 11 games of the round-robin clash before a relieved Nishikori finally got on the scoreboard with an angled winner.
Zverev's brother Mischa Zverev was also eliminated, going out 6-3, 6-1 to David Ferrer in the first round, while Kei Nishikori eased to a 7-5, 6-2 win over Taylor Fritz to secure a place in the third round.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic had no explanation for his flat performance in a stunning semi-final loss to Japan's Kei Nishikori at the U.S. Open on Saturday.
Stan Wawrinka outslugged Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 in energy-sapping humidity at Flushing Meadows on Friday to set up a US Open final against world number one Novak Djokovic.
A break-out 2014 season and a career-high ranking of five has added extra weight to Kei Nishikori's shoulders, with the US Open finalist already bearing the burden of huge expectations in his home country Japan.
Champion Novak Djokovic did not bother with a practice hit before his showdown with Kei Nishikori and his "less is more" approach paid off with an easy 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win on Tuesday to set up a blockbuster Australian Open semi-final with Roger Federer.
The United States 'is leading the world in the use of compulsory licenses, and is hypocritical in voicing indignance when developing countries issue compulsory licenses for essential drugs,' Washington-based Knowledge Ecology International, with its offices in Geneva, has alleged.
News of all that's transpired on and off the tennis courts
Images from Day 4 of the 2021 French Open in Paris on Wednesday.
Japan's Kei Nishikori made a stunning start to what will surely be the first of many appearances at the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over home favourite Andy Murray on Sunday.
The fifth seed's success made it the first time a Japanese male player had reached the last eight at Roland Garros since Jiro Satoh made it to the semi-finals in 1931 and 1933.
The positive cases were recorded after the charter flight from Los Angeles landed in Melbourne for the tennis Grand Slam, according to online posts from players.
Kei Nishikori was warned by tough taskmaster coach Michael Chang not to be satisfied, after having become the first Japanese man for almost a century to reach the US Open semi-finals, and to target the title.
Roger Federer's enduring brilliance and his sheer hatred of losing allowed him to withstand a stunning Kei Nishikori fightback and remain undefeated at the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday.
Professional sports events in Italy have been played without fans since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said fans would be allowed to attend the closing stages of the tournament on Sunday and Monday.
The 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win at the Pat Rafter arena was the 25-year-old's first in four attempts against world number five Nishikori and will boost his confidence ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on January 16 in Melbourne.
Fourth seed Kei Nishikori's hopes of making another magical U.S. Open run came to a quick end on Monday as last year's runner-up fell at the first hurdle, falling 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 to Frenchman Benoit Paire.
For the fourth time in his career, the eighth-seeded Japanese has dropped one set or less en route to the quarter-finals of a major championship.
Top seed Kei Nishikori of Japan became the first player to win three consecutive Memphis Open tennis tournament titles when he prevailed in straight sets on Sunday.
Already ranked ninth in Forbes' list of top tennis earners, Japan's Kei Nishikori is due for a bigger share of the off-court largesse despite losing Monday's final at the US Open, US marketing experts say.
Japan's Kei Nishikori and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus continued their Australian Open preparations by swiftly marching through to the quarter finals of the Brisbane International on Wednesday.
'Tired' Kei Nishikori takes positives out of Open despite loss.
The Austrian spent four days in bed with a virus after pulling out of a tournament in Doha last week.
Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Barcelona Open for the ninth time by beating German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday.
Roger Federer was made to work hard by Fernando Verdasco before beating the Spanish veteran 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
A pioneering Kei Nishikori blazed a new trail for Japanese tennis with a shock win over World No 1 Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open on Saturday, becoming the first man from Asia to book a place in a Grand Slam final.
There comes a moment in all great sporting careers when the puzzle fits together and for Kei Nishikori it arrived on a sweltering early September afternoon in New York.
Czech Tomas Berdych booked his place in the ATP World Tour Finals for the fifth time in a row when he advanced into the semi-finals of the Paris Masters with a 6-7(4) 6-4 6-4 victory over South African Kevin Anderson on Friday.
Japan's Nishikori was the first man representing an Asian country to break through to a Grand Slam final at the 2014 tournament before Marin Cilic stopped him in the title match.
Top seed Kei Nishikori is on track for a three-peat at the Memphis Open after a narrow semi-final victory on Saturday.
Defending US Open champion Rafael Nadal retired from his semi-final against Argentine third seed Juan Martin del Potro on Friday with right knee issues. The world number one was trailing 7-6(3), 6-2 when he decided to call it a night.
Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down to ease past Fabio Fognini 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the Italian Open quarter-finals on Friday and set up a mouth-watering clash against long-time adversary Novak Djokovic for a place in Sunday's final. Djokovic plotted a similar path to the Spanish clay-court king when the Serb lost the first set against Japan's Kei Nishikori before recovering to win 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 and seal an open-era record 51st career meeting against Nadal.
American tennis player Taylor Fritz and his doubles partner, Tik Tok personality Addison Rae, won the virtual Stay At Home Slam on Sunday as real-life tennis remains on hold because of the coronavirus crisis. The likes of the Williams sisters, Japanese stars Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori and the recently retired Maria Sharapova competed as their favourite characters from the world of Nintendo to raise money for charity.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances