Kevin Anderson beat Kei Nishikori in dominating fashion to secure himself a spot in the ATP semi-finals.
Flawless Performance
Anderson played one of the best matches of his career, showing from the first game that he was going to be unstoppable.
The big South African was hitting his serves with power and precision, hitting aces all afternoon with speeds of 139mph. It was simply too much for Nishikori to handle.
It wasn’t just a big serve for Anderson that won him the match, as his forehand and backhand shots were equally as impressive. It was rare that any of Anderson’s shots went long or into the net. The speed and strength on these shots left the Japanese star stunned and deflated.
Quick Work
Anderson didn’t waste any time wrapping up the first set winning 6-0. Just as the crowd though Kei could make some sort of comeback in the second, Anderson attacked the set with the same power and pace building a 5-0 lead.
The crowd tried their hardest to fire up Nishikori who is beloved by tennis fans worldwide. This support seemed to give Kei a spark and he dragged his way to his first game of the match.
Unfortunately for the man who had just taken down Federer, the momentum was short lived as Anderson served the game in what was seemingly effortless for the big man who ended the match 6-0 6-1.
Bad Day For Kei
Nothing went right for Nishikori in this match. It was a bad day from the beginning, even his entrance went wrong when the arena displays accidentally put Kevin Anderson’s name up as he walked in.
Nobody could say that Nishikori didn’t try. He never gave up even when down 5-0 but a combination of Anderson’s accuracy and Kei’s struggling forehand proved impossible to overcome.
The shots he was making against Federer weren’t falling against Anderson, even when he managed to get the South African out of position and out of the play Nishikori kept hitting the net, giving up easy points.
Serving also wasn’t on Kei’s side. The man from Matsue could not find a rhythm on his first serve, giving Anderson too many opportunities to attack the second serve, an opportunity that was taken advantage of.
What’s Next?
After playing one of the best games of his life and defeating Dominic Thiem on the opening afternoon, Anderson has confirmed his spot in the semi-finals.
He will face Swiss maestro Roger Federer in his final game of the group. Federer is coming off a much-needed victory against Thiem and will look to book his spot in the semi-final by beating Anderson. Also, for Federer revenge for his loss at the Wimbledon quarter-final will certainly be on his mind.
Just because Anderson is a lock for the next round it does not mean he will take this game off, the South African will be looking to win the group, giving him a better route to the final.
For Nishikori, the tournament is definitely not over. After defeating Federer on the opening night, he has left himself with a real chance of advancing. The man from Japan will take on Thiem, who after a second loss is the first person in the tournament to be officially eliminated.
Just because Thiem is out of the running it does not mean he will make it easy for Nishikori. The Austrian will be looking to have a win on his record. The motivation for Nishikori is that the other match does not matter, if he wins he will qualify to the next round.
Even if Federer can overcome Anderson his head to head with Nishikori will see him fall short of the next stage. Kei is in a good position with his ATP future in his own hands.
It will be a very interesting finale to the group with only one semi-final spot left for the taking.
