Kei Nishikori played his first match since finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open and there was no letdown of any kind during second-round action at the Malaysian Open on Wednesday. Picking up where he left off with his incredible run in New York, this week’s No. 1 seed rolled over American Rajeev Ram 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and four minutes.
Two other men cruised into the Kuala Lumpur quarterfinals on Wednesday: No. 4 seed Julien Benneteau dismissed wild card Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-3 and Marinko Matosevic got the best of Go Soeda 7-6(5), 6-4. Fifth-seeded Pablo Cuevas also advanced to the last eight, but not without a fight. The Uruguayan battled past Ivan Dodig 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 after two hours and 45 minutes. Cuevas will face Benneteau in the quarters, while Matosevic will go up against Nishikori.
Two other men cruised into the Kuala Lumpur quarterfinals on Wednesday: No. 4 seed Julien Benneteau dismissed wild card Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-3 and Marinko Matosevic got the best of Go Soeda 7-6(5), 6-4. Fifth-seeded Pablo Cuevas also advanced to the last eight, but not without a fight. The Uruguayan battled past Ivan Dodig 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 after two hours and 45 minutes. Cuevas will face Benneteau in the quarters, while Matosevic will go up against Nishikori.
Meanwhile, first-round action wrapped up with a pair of matches. Benjamin Becker ousted No. 6 seed and recent Metz finalist Joao Sousa 7-6(1), 6-2. Michal Przysiezny overcame Malek Jaziri 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Richard Gasquet did not have quite as much momentum in his corner as Nishikori heading into this week, but the Frenchman had scored an impressive Davis Cup victory over Tomas Berdych two weeks ago as France booked its spot in the final. Gasquet maintained his winning form on Wednesday by kicking off his Shenzhen Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Gilles Muller.
“I’m very happy to win my first match here,” the No. 3 seed assured. “I really like playing in Asia. I’ve played well in Beijing and I won in Bangkok. It’s good for me. It’s my first time in Shenzhen. I’m really impressed with the city. The courts are good and the club is very nice. It’s a great tournament and I will try to do my best to win (the title).”
Gasquet is through to the quarterfinals along with Tommy Robredo, Andreas Seppi, and Juan Monaco. Robredo survived a slow start to beat Sam Groth in three sets, Seppi beat fellow Italian Simone Bolelli, and Monaco upset seventh-seeded Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
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