Nishikori Turns Back the Clock in Hong Kong, Reaches First Semifinal in 3.5 Years
Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday January 3, 2025
Kei Nishikori it rings in 2025 by turning back the clock. Former World No.4 reached ATP semi-final from 2021 in Hong Kong, lost Cameron Norrie 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to set up a last four clash with the 19-year-old Shang Juncheng (Jerry).
Shang defeated Fabian Marozsan, top seed Andrey Rublev in the round of 16, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“It's been a long time,” said Nishikori, 35, after knocking out his third former Top 10 talent this week. “I am very happy with my level, winning against top players. Physically I feel good.
It's through to the semi-finals pic.twitter.com/8ydxU2wCFo
— Kei Nishikori (@keinishikori) January 3, 2025
“I didn't expect anything coming into this tournament, I feel no pressure. I know this is a very strong field. I took it one game at a time and Jerry is a great player, so I have to stay strong.”
Nishikori is set to return to the Top 100 for the first time since October 2021 in next week's rankings. He had left hip surgery in 2022, and has had bad luck keeping his body healthy. But if he's fit he can still stand out – and the motivation is still there.
“Yes, I'm injured a lot, but I never feel like I'm done,” he said last year at Roland-Garros in Paris. “I never lost the motivation to come back.”
Alexandre Muller beat runner-up Arthur Fils in the semi-finals to set up a semi-final with Jaume Munar, who upset runner-up Lorenzo Musetti. None of the top players made it to the last four in Hong Kong.
