By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Kei Nishikori beat Tomas Berdych for the fourth time in five meetings, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, at the World Tour Finals.
Photo credit: CameraSport
Round-robin play offers no time to nurse emotional wounds. Kei Nishikori admitted he was "ashamed" by the opening thrashing he suffered at the hands of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
A resourceful Nishikori shook off the shame, big-hitting Tomas Berdych and a five-game slide in the second set to bounce back in a big way today.
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Exerting his closing power, Nishikori beat Berdych for the fourth time in five meetings, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, to level his round-robin record at the ATP World Tour Finals.
Even with a fractured racquet, Nishikori refused to crack in the final set. He fought off a break point with a cracked racquet in the seventh game of the decider before breaking a tense Berdych in the next game.
Problem-solving amid final-set pressure is one reason why the 2014 US Open finalist is an elite player and supreme closer in final sets. Nishikori raised his record in decisive sets to an ATP-best 85-22, including an 18-5 mark this season.
Berdych, who fell to Roger Federer in his opener on Sunday, took the court armed with a unique record at the event. He is 0-6 lifetime in his first round-robin match and was 5-0 in his second, but today's loss virtually eliminates any hopes the Czech had of advancing to the semifinals from the Stan Smith group.
This is an unsettling match-up for the 30-year-old Czech because Nishikori can create sharper angles and is more dangerous on the move. Dictating the point from the center of the court, he saw Nishikori bolt a backhand winner down the line for the first break point of the match.
Nishikori lined up a short forehand, but slapped it into the tape. Berdych saved a second break point when his opponent missed an awkward slice forehand working through an arduous 10-minute hold for 3-2.
The eighth-seeded Japanese often straddled the baseline, taking the ball on the rise and finding angles. Nishikori created more opportunities—he pushed Berdych to deuce in four of his first five service games—but Berdych withstood each test holding for 5-4.
Facing 15-30, a scrambling Nishikori dug out a ball behind him to extend an adventure of a point that ended with Berdych missing a backhand. Instead of set point down, Nishikori held firm.
Beating Berdych to the punch, Nishikori finally broke through in the 11th game. On his fifth break point, Nishikori drove a return near the baseline. Countering off his back foot, Berdych dragged a low forehand into net dropping serve for 5-6.
Sweeping a forehand winner down the line, Nishikori snatched a one-set lead after 62 minutes hitting five more winners (17 to 12) than the world No. 6.
Rushing the bigger man into errors, Nishikori broke at love to start the second set. His first real lapse came when he double faulted for the fourth time gifting a first break to Berdych for 2-all.
Showing serious disdain for his opponent's serve, Berdych began blasting returns Nishikori could not counter broke again for 4-2. By then, Berdych had reeled off 14 of the last 17 points.
Empowered, Berdych thumped through a love hold—his fifth straight game—for 5-2. Closing a love hold with a flat forehand down the line, Berdych forced the first decisive set of the singles draw so far, hitting 11 winners compared to three for Nishikori in the set.
Pounding a pair of aces, Berdych held at love in the sixth game. Nishikori dodged a break point stabbing a stretched backhand and cracking his Wilson racquet as he dug the head in the court trying to stabilize in a recovery step. Nishikori detected the crack right before he was about to toss the ball for the next point and switched sticks, holding for 4-3.
Nerves got the best of Berdych. A double fault followed by a mid-court forehand he slapped wide put Berdych into a double break point bind. He plastered a forehand into the middle of the net giving Nishikori the only break of the set.
The man with the best closing record in decisive sets finished this one in style. An ace down the middle and a gorgeous flick backhand down the line ended the two hour, 23-minute match. Nishikori will face Roger Federer in his final round-robin match.