By Chris Oddo | Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Kei Nishikori saved four match points en route to an upset victory over last year's Miami runner-up David Ferrer on Tuesday.
Photo Source: Christopher Levy
Kei Nishikori reached the Sony Open Tennis quarterfinals for the first time in his career with a 7-6(7), 2-6, 7-6(9) victory over World No. 4 David Ferrer on Tuesday.
>>> Catching Up with Kei Nishikori
The massive win for the 24-year-old may not have been the biggest for Nishikori against Ferrer—he also defeated him at the US Open in 2008 and the London Olympic Games in 2012—but that didn't stop many on Twitter from celebrating the occasion.
Nishikori saved four match points in the third-set tiebreaker and he pushed last year's Miami runner-up so hard that the Spaniard was actually bending down and gasping for air between points late in the match.
It's a testament to the fitness and maturity of the World No. 21, that he could outlast one of the game's toughest warriors in a match that lasted three hours and five minutes.
Nishikori will face either Roger Federer or Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals.
As a result of Ferrer's loss, Roger Federer has a good chance to move up to No. 4 in the rankings. He will claim the No. 4 spot unless Tomas Berdych wins the title AND Federer loses before the semis.
In other early action on Tuesday at Miami, Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Tommy Robredo. Djokovic will face the Murray-Tsonga winner in the quarterfinals.
“I made him play an extra shot in important moments, and that's why I'm satisfied with the overall match today,” Djokovic said after the win.