Kei Nishikori returns to an ATP Tour final in Hong Kong | ATP Tour

Hong Kong

Nishikori will fight again for an ATP title in Hong Kong

Munar lost in the semifinals against Muller

January 04, 2025

It had been six years since Kei Nishikori had appeared in the last round of an ATP Tour tournament until this Saturday he ended the drought at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open.

The Japanese, who is playing his first tournament of the season thanks to an invitation, was leading the score 4-3 against Juncheng Shang, when the Chinese player had to retire after 20 minutes of play.

“I’m very sorry, last night I had a high fever and being standing here is a miracle,” confessed the young 19-year-old local idol to the audience present in the stands.

Nishikori, who will return to the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings next Monday for the first time since June 2022, reached the 27th final of his career and first since doing so in Brisbane in 2019.

At 35 years old, the Japanese has lived with physical problems in recent seasons that forced him to stay away from competition. However, little by little he has raised his level until this week in Hong Kong the reward arrived.

Before overcoming Shang this Saturday, he recorded other prestigious wins against Denis Shapovalov (first round), No. 3 seed Karen Khachanov (second round) and Cameron Norrie (quarterfinals).

Nishikori, who has 12 ATP Tour titles under his belt, will try to add one more this Sunday against Alexandre Muller.

The Frenchman was able to come back against Jaume Munar 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in two hours and 25 minutes, in a match in which the Spaniard was three points away from closing it on his side in the tie-break of the second set.

Muller, who had just saved two match points in the second round against Miomir Kecmanovic, reached his second ATP Tour final, after making his debut in Marrakech 2023 (l. with Roberto Carballes Baena).

Did you know that…?
Nishikori and Muller will meet in the final in Hong Kong in the first Lexus ATP Head2Head match between the two.