Nishikori loses to Tiafoe in career finale — SkimNews
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- Kei Nishikori lost 6-4, 6-4 to second-seeded Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the Japan Open, ending his professional career at age 36 on Thursday in Tokyo.
- Nishikori announced in May he planned to retire at the end of the year and was granted a wild-card entry to the Japan Open, a tournament he won in 2012 and 2014.
- Nishikori became the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the 2014 US Open, where he lost in straight sets to Marin Cilic; he also reached a career-high ranking of No. 4.
- Nishikori said he had "mixed feelings" about the farewell on home soil, telling reporters: "I am excited to play in Japan, but I also know this is my last moment. So it's kind of sad."
- Nishikori missed January's Australian Open with right shoulder pain and sat out last year's US Open, capping a stretch of injury-limited seasons since turning pro in 2007.
- At the same Japan Open, top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a second-set scare to beat American Alex Michelsen 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-1, while third-seeded Taylor Fritz fell 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 to Spain's Jaume Munar.
Why it matters: Nishikori's exit closes the book on the most accomplished men's tennis career in Japanese history — his 2014 US Open final run and career-high No. 4 ranking set a standard no Japanese player has matched since. At 36, he departs without an obvious successor at the top of Japanese men's tennis.
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