Kei Nishikori overcomes frustration and doubts to beat Laslo Djere
Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori wasn't in a great place mentally at the beginning of the fifth set against rising Serbian star Laslo Djere but managed to overcome that and eventually claim a 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-3 4-6 8-6 win.
World No 32 Djere lost the first set after being up by a break but then recovered from a break down in the second set and saved a set point to level the match at one set apiece.
No. 7 seeds broke Djere twice in the third set to take the lead but the Serb once again fought back as he claimed the fourth set to force a decider.
The Serb made a great start to the fifth set, having broken the Japanese twice to take a 3-0 lead.
Yet, the big lead and momentum weren't enough for No. 31 seed Djere as Nishikori made a great comeback to steal the decider and progress to the French Open round-of-16.
"Falling behind 3-0 (in the final set) was frustrating because my opponent kept raising his game over and over," Nishikori said post-match, per Kyodo News. "I was thinking that maybe winning was impossible, but that I might catch a break. That's all it was."
Nishikori also admitted to feeling tired after the match but expected to be fully ready for his upcoming clash against home favorite Benoit Paire.
"I'm exhausted for sure, I hope the presser will finish soon (laugh). I think I should be OK, I played only one five-setter, not three like at the Australian Open," Nishikori said in Japanese.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2XkjRfQ
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