It was another tough loss for Robredo, who was coming off a runner-up performance in Shenzhen–where he held five championship points on Sunday before falling to Andy Murray. The Spaniard had one match point against Isner, with the American serving at 4-5, 30-40 in the final set. Unsurprisingly, Isner erased the chance with an ace.
Due to the conditions, the only other completed match saw Novak Djokovic defeat Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 7-5. The top seed fought back from a break down in the second set and thus improved his chances of finishing 2014 with the No. 1 ranking.
“It’s definitely always the highest priority out there along with winning Grand Slam titles,” Djokovic said of being No. 1 in the world. “That gives me plenty of motivation. It would mean a lot to me. That’s why I’m out here in Beijing and Shanghai, competing and trying to get that year-end No. 1.”
Much better weather at the Japan Open allowed for a full slate of action on Wednesday. U.S. Open runner-up and Kuala Lumpur champion Kei Nishikori was able to delight his home crowd by winning a first-round match against Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-4. Nishikori prevailed in one hour and 24 minutes to set up a date with Donald Young.
Everyone else in action on Wednesday was contesting a second-round match. Winners included Benjamin Becker, Jack Sock, Gilles Simon, and Steve Johnson. All four of the current quarterfinalists are unseeded. Becker, who ousted Japanese wild card Tatsuma Ito, was the only man other than Nishikori who avoided a third set on Wednesday. Sock held off Andrey Golubev while Simon and Johnson fought back from set deficits against Gilles Muller and Marcel Granollers, respectively.
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