Top seeded Kei Nishikori has secured a place in the quarter-finals of the Memphis Open tennis defeating American Ryan Harrison 6-2, 7-5.
Nishikori, who won the tournament in the last three editions, will next face Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin, who defeated American Denis Kudla 6-1, 7-5, also on Wednesday, reports Efe.
"Yeah, a little bit. He started playing a little better that game," Nishikori said after the match.
"I had easy mistakes and should have closed it out but happy to finish the last two games.
"I actually playing very good, very solid today. The last two games were a bit of a struggle ? Usually I struggle the first couple of rounds here so this is the best start so far."
The Japanese said Kukushkin pose a tough challenge for him.
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"We just played in Brisbane and it was two sets but they were tough ones," Nishikori said.
"He's always a tough player. In these slower conditions there's going to be many long rallies."