Bernard Tomic continued his impressive run at the Brisbane International by defeating world No.8 Kei Nishikori 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
The Australian No.1 approached the game in an aggressive and creative way to disrupt Nishikori’s game plan. During the opening set Tomic was forced to fend off three break points in his second service game before holding. Despite the pressure from Nishikori, the Australian was able to get himself out of trouble in his service games with the help of nine aces during the opening set. The first break of the match occurred in the eighth game when Tomic converted his first break point of the match to extend his lead to 5-3. The world No.18 successfully took the first set after a long service game, when he converted his fourth set point.
Prior to their Brisbane encounter, Tomic has never beaten Nishikori on the tour. The second set was a one way show in Nishikori’s favor after he won back-to-back breaks against Tomic’s serve. The second seed took advantage of a weakened second serve from the Australian. During the second set Tomic won just 30% of his second service points. Nishikori was also encountering some issues with his serve after fending off four break points before taking the second set.
The middle set disappointment failed to disheartened Tomic and the legion of home fans supporting him as he broke Nishikori for the second time in the match for an early 2-0 lead. The break was the first of a trio exchanged between the two. The world No.8 responded immediately by breaking back in the next game, however, his comeback suffered another blow when he lost serve for the second consecutive time. The second break was enough for Tomic as he maintained the lead to take the milestone win.
The win is the first time that Tomic has beaten a top 10 player on Australian soil. The world No.18 produced 18 aces, converted 3/10 break points and won 73% of his first serves. Tomic did however experience difficulty with his second serve, winning just 37% of them.
Friday’s win is projected to elevated Tomic to a ranking high of 16th in the world, boosting his chances of a top 16 place at the upcoming Australian Open. Following his sensational victory, Tomic spoke about the significance of his win.
“This match was very important to win and see where my level was at”. Tomic said during his press conference.
“I’m feeling very confident on the court. Last year gave me a huge boost of confidence, so I’m happy to be playing here in Brisbane and playing this well”.
The display by Tomic also earned praise from former US Open runner-up Nishikori. After admitting that he ‘didn’t play his best tennis’, the world No.8 was impressed with Tomic’s performance.
“He served really well. He saved many important points with his serve”. Nishikori said.
“I mean, he was running side to side and he got me so many balls back, so it was really tough to play”.
Next up for Tomic will be last year’s Brisbane runner-up Milos Raonic. The Canadian fired 12 aces and won 93% of his first service points during his 6-4, 6-4, win over France’s Lucas Pouille. Raonic has played Tomic twice before (both in 2014) and currently leads the head-to-head 2-0.
