Former world number 4 Kei Nishikori recovered from 1-3 down in the opening set to beat Danil Medvedev 7-5 6-2 after 1 hour and 41 minutes at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters continuing his come-back from injury after his first round match Tomas Berdych.
Last year’s ATP Next Gen Finals qualifier Danil Medvedev got the first break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead, when Nishikori hit a backhand wide, but the Japanese player broke straight back in the next game. After a slow start Nishikori reeled off five consecutive games to build up a 7-5 3-0 lead.
Nishikori won 14 of the last 19 points breaking serve for the third time to race out to a 5-2 lead. He served out for the match to clinch his sixth match of the year.
Nishikori, who is playing in Monte-Carlo for the first time since 2012, has scored 73 wins to just 29 defeats on clay in his career.
German jan Lennard Struff beat Fabio Fognini 6-4 6-2 in 65 minutes to reach the third round in Monte-Carlo for the second year in a row. Fognini had a good start earning three break points in the second game and got his third chance to open up a 2-0 lead, but was broken back in the next game. Struff broke for the second time in the fifth game on his first opportunity with a forehand return and held his service game at deuce to open up a 4-2 lead. The German never looked back winning his final two service games easily to close out the first set 6-4.
Struff got an immpediate break in the first game of the second set and held his serve to open up a 2-0 lead. After winning his first game of the second set at deuce Fognini received a medical time-out to treat a knee problem. He went up a double break in the fifth game to race out to a 4-1 lead. The next games went on serve and Stuff served for the match in the eighth game
