World No. 6 Kei Nishikori of Japan beat No. 5 Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland in straight sets 7-6, 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup tennis tournament at the Aviva Centre here.
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The victory positions Nishikori for the first ATP Masters series title of his nine-year pro career.
One of the major differences between Djokovic and Nishikori was the ability to earn easy points off their serve.
“Well, it’s the biggest sports event, so to be part of it is already a huge privilege and honor that I will cherish, as I did in Beijing and London Olympic Games”, said Djokovic when asked about the Rio de Janeiro Games. “He was hitting very good serves and very aggressive”, said Nishikori, the world No. 6 who improved to 2-3 against Wawrinka. He has left nothing to chance, no stone unturned, in the pursuit of athletic and tactical perfection, and these he days has the bearing and self-belief of a man who will not panic even against the most challenging opposition. “So I was really feeling the pressure every game”, Nishikori, the world No. 6, said. One rally saw the two split almost 30 shots, with Monfils putting the ball too deep to give Djokovic a break point. Djokovic also won the hardcourt event that rotates between Toronto and Montreal 2007, 2011 and 2012. Take Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal out of the mix and Djokovic was expected to roll to this week’s Rogers Cup title. “It is a pleasure to perform here”.
Despite the Japanese star claiming three consecutive games in the second set to lead 4-3, Djokovic steadied the ship and the pair battled it out to 5-5.
The second set was pathetic from the Swiss and it’s Nishikori who goes through to the final, where no doubt he’ll be the next to lose to Novak Djokovic in a Masters 1000 championship match. ‘I played the best match in the tournament so far, I was hoping that I can raise my game as the tournament progresses which has happened tonight in the right moments’.
The 12-time grand slam champion will now turn his focus to the Olympics, a tournament he has yet to conquer.
Midway through the second set of their match, Wawrinka botched a sure-fire high backhand from at the net as Nishikori stood still on his side of the court, having conceded the point.
Djokovic credited his serve for seeing him through.
Novak Djokovic simply could not be stopped on Sunday as the world No. 1 powered through to his fourth Rogers Cup title.
Nishikori shanked Djokovic’s ensuing serve, giving the Serbian player his seventh title of the ATP season. He can beat you with his legs-no player, save for perhaps his opponent on Sunday night, covers as much court. Novak Djokovic defeated Kei Nishikori of Japan 2-0 and claimed the title. “I’m obviously not going to say it’s a bad week just because I lost one match”.
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“I had a lot of opportunity that I could have done better, but he won the match and that’s it”.
