Kei Nishikori outlasted Fernando Verdasco 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-1 in a nearly three-hour marathon to register a brilliant win in the third round of the Miami Open on Sunday. The victory came hours after third-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada, suffering from a hamstring injury, withdrew before his match. Verdasco rallied to force a first-set tie-break after trailing 3-0 but Nishikori’s lunging half-volley backhand winner enabled him to take the set. Nishikori won six of seven games in the third set to advance to the Round of 16. “It’s related to the previous injury I sustained almost four weeks ago... in Delray Beach,” he told reporters.

Source: Hindustan Times March 27, 2017 04:52 UTC