Kei Nishikori earned his 450th tour-level win in style on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he notched a piece of history.
The Japanese star outlasted Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to become just the eighth active ATP Tour player, and the first Asian, to reach that milestone. Nishikori, who made the Madrid final in 2014, now boasts a 19-8 record at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
“I had no idea,” said Nishikori when asked of his 450th tour-level win. “I just try to play one match at a time. It’s a lot, yes… I have played for 18 years now, hopefully I can reach 500 [wins].”
Nishikori, the former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has been hampered by various injuries in the past three years, notably undergoing hip surgery in 2022. Yet the 35-year-old marked his return by reaching the quarter-finals at the Masters 1000 in Montreal last August and earning a nomination for ATP’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2024.
In the second round in Madrid, Nishikori takes on 29th seed Denis Shapovalov.
“I’m happy to be back here,” said Nishikori, who is competing in Madrid for the first time since 2021. “It’s different conditions, a little tougher… But I have good memories, I played in the final a long time ago.”
In other early Madrid action on Thursday, Tomas Martin Etcheverry overcame Hamad Medjedovic in a gruelling three-hour, 16-minute battle. The Argentine saved 14 of 15 break points in the deciding set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, including eight in a nervy game to hold for 5-3. Etcheverry has set a second-round meeting with 10th seed and recent Monte-Carlo finalist Lorenzo Musetti.
Alexandre Muller led David Goffin 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 in their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash before the Belgian was forced to retire. The Frenchman Muller will next face countryman and 21st seed Ugo Humbert.
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