By Chris Oddo | Sunday October 7, 2018
Russia's Daniil Medvedev became the first qualifier to ever claim the Tokyo title with a straight-sets win over Kei Nishikori in the final.
Photo Source: Koji Watanable/Getty
From qualifying to mystifying.
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev became the first qualifier to ever win the Tokyo title on Sunday, cruising past two-time champion Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-4 with an inspired performance that left jaws dropping at the Rakuten Open.
Medvedev dropped just two first-serve points against the tournament’s hottest returner, and after saving a break point in the opening game he was virtually dominant on serve, never showing any signs of nerve or fatigue as he swept past the World No.12 in 63 minutes.
Medvedev made it through the last three rounds without dropping serve and he saved his best for last on Sunday as Nishikori had no answers for the quirky strokes, bomb serves and off-kilter power that the 22-year-old threw at him. The Russian broke twice in the opening set to take the lead, then withstood a push from Nishikori until 4-4 in the second set before he broke pivotally in the tenth game to close out a near flawless performance that saw him drop just one service point in the final set.
Medvedev has had a banner year on tour. He claimed his first title as a qualifier in Sydney, then earned his second title at Winston-Salem in August. With today’s title—the biggest of his career—Medvedev will take his place as the top-ranked Russian on the ATP Tour tomorrow.
Nishikori came in as the clear favorite but his losing streak in ATP finals has now been stretched to eight with the loss. The 28-year-old has now gone 47 tour-level events without claiming a title, a fruitless run that now stretches back to his Memphis title in February of 2016.
Nishikori’s longshot chances of making a push to qualify for the ATP Finals in London also take a hit with the defeat. He’s 725 points behind Dominic Thiem, who occupies the eighth and final spot at the moment.