By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, March 14, 2015
Kei Nishikori swept Ryan Harrison, 6-4, 6-4, to post his 11th victory in his last 12 matches.
Photo credit: @BNPParibasOpen
Kei Nishikori ballooned a forehand beyond the baseline then bounced his palm off his racquet face as if trying to shake some sense into the strings.
When Nishikori was broken in two of his first three service games, tension wasn't exactly written all over his face.
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But it was clearly on his mind.
The combination of gritty court, desert air and Ryan Harrison's high-bounding topspin created control issues at the outset.
Nishikori sent his racquets out to be re-strung a couple of times. Then he cleaned up his game and ratcheted up the pressure on the 110th-ranked American wild card.
The world No. 5 broke serve five times breezing into the Indian Wells third round with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph.
It was Nishikori's 11th victory in his last 12 matches. He played sharper tennis as the match progressed, winning 20 of 23 points played on his serve in the second set, including all nine second-serve points.
"There were so many up and downs in the first set," Nishikori said in his post-match press conference. "Almost every game was; we couldn't hold the service game, but we also returned well. That's why it was a lot of breaks. But second set I was playing almost perfect game. I was hitting good serves. No break points."
Shortly after reigning U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic lost to Juan Monaco in his first match of the season, 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Nishikori began to find his range on the stadium court.
The desert has largely been a desolate destination for Nishikori, who had failed to survive the first round in four of his six prior BNP Paribas Open appearances.
Though he beat Harrison, 6-4 in the third set, indoors in Memphis last month, the usually accurate Japanese struggled to keep the ball between the lines during the early stages today.
There were five breaks in the first seven games. Harrison's serve is one of his biggest weapons so when he dropped serve at love to fall behind 3-4, the American was understandably aggravated and spent some time barking at himself while pacing to his court-side seat.
This match-up presents a couple of primary issues for Harrison:
1. Nishikori is skilled straddling the baseline and taking the ball early and used that ability to displace the American behind the baseline.
2. The Nishikori backhand feeds directly into Harrison's weaker backhand wing and the more pressure Harrison feels on that side the more his depth diminishes.
Fighting off four break points in the eighth game, Nishikori held for 4-all. Timing the ball better and stepping inside the baseline to rob Harrison of reaction time, Nishikori broke again for 5-4. He converted his third set point to serve out the 48-minute opener.
Court positioning was key. Nishikori is more comfortable taking the ball on the rise and as Harrison was pushed back near the Indian Wells sign painted well behind the baseline, Nishikori began to step in and finish points firing the ball down the line.
"I have to be quick and I tried to get everything," Nishikori told Tennis Channel's Justin Gimelstob afterward. "I'm not the biggest guy on the tour so I'm not the power player. If I can step in a little more and use the whole body on the ball I can put a little weight to the ball and get more power."
Drifting into defensive positions well behind the baseline, Harrison could not create enough angle off his backhand. Nishikori made him pay, finding the corners and breaking again to open the second set. It was Nishikori's fifth break in six service games.
The fifth seed backed up the break at love for a 2-0 second-set advantage.
Sliding his second ace out wide, Nishikori held for 4-2. Harrison bolted a 139 blast to keep close, holding for 3-4.
An anguished Harrison erupted in a primal scream missing a forehand down the line. He framed a backhand beyond the baseline and Nishikori extended to 5-3.
Nishikori closed with conviction opening the final game with a second serve ace then planting two forehand winners into opposite corners for triple match point. He sealed the 87-minute victory on a Harrison error.
Next up for Nishikori is 28th-seeded Fernando Verdasco, who defeated Aussie qualifier James Duckworth, 6-2, 7-6 (3). The 31-year-old Spaniard has won both of their prior meetings though they have not squared off in nearly three years. The rematch will pit the left-handed Verdasco's whipping forehand against Nishikori's concise and versatile two-handed backhand. It's a stroke widely regarded as one of the best backhands in the game .
"I don't know if I'm the best [backhand], but I think I'm getting close," Nishikori told Tennis Channel. "Novak, for sure, is number one, and Andy [Murray] and if I can put me there it would be great. I'm getting close."