Kei Nishikori has reached his first ATP 500 quarter-final for three years after easing past Jordan Thompson in Tokyo.
The two-time former champion eased past the in-form Australian 6-2 6-3 to reach the last eight in his home country for the sixth time in his career.
Nishikori is seeking his third title in Tokyo as he is into his first ATP 500 quarter-final since Washington in 2021.
Speaking after the match Nishikori was amazed with his own level as he is ready for the latter stages in Tokyo, “For sure this was the best match so far this year,” Nishikori told the ATP website.
“Jordan is not an easy player to play against. He is very solid and has a good serve. Not easy to play against, but I really handled it well today. I surprised myself, maybe my team is also a little bit surprised. I played really well. Very solid, very focused.
“This is how I wanted to play. Play aggressive with not many mistakes. It was almost perfect today.”
Nishikori will now face Holger Rune in the quarter-finals after the Dane defeated Yoshihito Nishioka with the match being third on Sunday.
The other quarter-finals sees Tomas Machac take on Alex Michelsen with that match being followed by Ugo Humbert taking on Jack Draper.
To finish off Sunday’s play, Arthur Fils will take on eighth seed and defending champion Ben Shelton.
