Kei Nishikori did not explode with joy when Gabriel Diallo’s last forehand (166th) went out of bounds. By winning in five sets (7-5, 7-6 [3]3-6, 1-6, 7-5) and 4:22 Sunday evening in the first round of Roland-Garros, the 34-year-old Japanese had just gleaned his first Grand Slam victory since his second round victory at the US Open 2021 against the American Mackenzie McDonald (7-6 [3]6-3, 6-7 [5]2-6, 6-3).
After winning two close sets, Nishikori experienced a big drop in performance and saw the Canadian qualifier fall back to two sets all. But the experience paid off and he managed to break his young opponent (23 years old) in the last game. He will face Ben Shelton, seeded 15, or Frenchman Hugo Gaston (104th).
2024-05-26 22:36:35
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