Alcaraz worked on making his serve more potent in the off-season and was thrilled with how it held up against Nishioka.
Renata Zarazua, the only Mexican player in the US Open main draw, pulled off a stunning upset by beating sixth seed Madison Keys in the first round.
Though having won the French Open and a second Wimbledon crown last year with his previous serving action, Alcaraz was unhappy with its accuracy and overall strain on the body.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland will clash in the ABN Amro Open semi-finals on Saturday after both posted victories on Friday in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner swept past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2 on Thursday to reach the Cincinnati Open semi-finals, the world number one extending his hardcourt winning streak to 25 matches.
All the action from Day 4 at the Australian Open on Wednesday
Alex Michelsen hung on to defeat Tung-Lin Wu and help the United States take a 2-0 lead against Taiwan in the Davis Cup qualifier in Taipei City on Friday.
The 2025 US Open is more than just a tennis tournament; it's a bold display of personal expression and a vibrant celebration of style.
Tenth seed Lorenzo Musetti rallied from a set down to beat Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday even as Carlos Alcaraz mauled big-serving American Reilly Opelka and veteran Venus Williams made an emotional exit.
Stanislas Wawrinka breezed into the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday and saw another seed removed from his path to the final when lucky loser Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan turned his match against Tomas Berdych upside down.
Davis Cup heavyweights Australia and the United States eased through the first qualifying round on Saturday but Britain were knocked out as Japan hit back from 2-1 down to win 3-2, while Denmark staged a dramatic comeback to overcome Serbia.
'Rarely did I feel my best on clay in the first or second tournament in the season. That was the case this season again. It took me two tournaments to really feel that I'm getting closer to the desired level.'
World number one Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the Paris Masters third round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Yoshihito Nishioka but Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev both slumped to surprise losses on Wednesday.
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.
Yuki Bhambri kept alive his hopes of making the Australian Open singles main draw, scoring a straight sets victory over higher-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka in the qualifying event.
While Somdev was beaten 7-5, 5-7, 1-6 by Slovakian 20th seed Nerbert Gombos, Saketh frittered a one-set lead while going down 6-4, 4-6, 1-6 to Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.
A summary of Thursday's play at the French Open.
Yuki Bhambri was the only Indian to cross the first hurdle in the Australian Open qualifiers, Somdev Devvarman and Ramkumar Ramanathan falling by the way side, on Monday. Ranked 314th, he knocked out Russian 15th seed Evgeny Donskoy with a 4-6, 6-1, 8-6 victory in his first round match on Show Court 2.
Former US Open champion Stan Wawrinka said he still had the game for the grandest stage after the Swiss veteran became the oldest man to win a singles contest at the tournament since a 40-year-old Jimmy Connors in 1992.
Nishikori is the latest high-profile men's player to pull out of the season's first Grand Slam following the withdrawal of Briton Andy Murray on Saturday.
Sebastian Korda is just the third American to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open.
Australian Nick Kyrgios blasted 15 aces to blow past Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 7-5 on Thursday and reach the quarter-finals at the Citi Open in Washington.
Somdev Devvarman extended his excellent run at the ATP Shanghai Challenger by reaching the singles finals with a hard-fought win over Italy's Luca Vanni.
Medvedev squandered a two-set lead against Nadal in their previous meeting in the Melbourne final in January, allowing the Spaniard to clinch his 21st Grand Slam title.
Novak Djokovic was seriously rattled early on by inspired American teenager Nishesh Basavareddy but rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory on Monday.
Federer, Djokovic headline Day 2 at Flushing Meadows
He was drawn in the toughest half of the draw with Nadal as well as in-form Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz and world number three Alexander Zverev, who could clash in the last eight.
His top ranking came on the same day that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began with air and missile strikes on military facilities before troops and tanks rolled across borders from the north, east and south.
Gauff vows to be more aggressive in Osaka showdown
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic won their matches for their respective countries on Day 4 of the ATP Cup on Monday.
The Indian pair of Sania Mirza and Prarthana Thombare settled for a bronze after losing their women's doubles semi-final to Chinese Taipei's Chin Wei Chan and Su Wei Hsiehin in the Asian Games, in Incheon on Sunday.
Sumit Nagal immediately set his sights on Thiem who has reached two French Open finals, losing both to Nadal.
Tomic had to battle hard against the top seed, saving four match points in a tense final set before wrapping up the match in two hours and 15 minutes.
Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has entered the quarter-finals of the ATP Acapulco tournament with a comprehensive straight-sets victory over Italy's Paolo Lorenzi.
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame a first-set spill to beat unseeded Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-4 6-1 in the third round at the Miami Open in Florida on Sunday.
Roger Federer faced down local battler John Millman 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8) in a five-set thriller on Friday night to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open. Defending champion Novak Djokovic thumped Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday to stay on course for a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park. Images from Day 5 of the 2020 Australian Open.
Holger Rune crashed out to Yoshihito Nishioka in the ATP 250 Adelaide International 1 first round.
Czech fourth seed Tomas Berdych bulldozed his way into the second round of the French Open by thrashing Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 7-5, 6-3 on Monday.
Medvedev moved a step closer to a potential semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open warm-up event.
Building the stamina to consistently survive the rigours of playing five-set matches will top Andy Murray's agenda as the former US Open champion, who has undergone two hip surgeries, plots the revival of his career.
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