Nishikori makes surprisingly quick work of Wawrinka in London

In a rematch of a 2016 U.S. Open semifinal showdown, Kei Nishikori rolled over Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3 during round-robin competition at the World Tour Finals on Monday afternoon. Nishikori needed a mere one hour and seven minutes to start with 1-0 record in Group A.

It was a much different story from what had transpired in New York City a few months ago, when Wawrinka defeated Nishikori in four sets en route to his third Grand Slam title. The world No. 3 has slumped since then and he could not regain his form in this one. Wawrinka sprayed 31 unforced errors–15 with his backhand and 12 off the forehand side.

Nishikori, meanwhile, cracked 19 winners to only 18 errors and did not face a single break point. He finished off the proceedings in his style with his third break of the afternoon at 5-3 in the second set.

“It was not a great match compared to what I can do, that’s for sure,” Wawrinka admitted. “Wasn’t a great day for myself. In general, I think he played well–put a lot of pressure (on me) from the beginning…. I was hesitating a lot with my game (and) my movement…. I was feeling better on the court (than in previous weeks), so I thought I could play at a better level today. I was expecting a good match; didn’t happen today.”

“I felt very comfortable out there,” said Nishikori. “(I) started very good from the first game. So I was very confident. I [saw] that he wasn’t playing his best and he was missing–a lot of unforced errors. I [saw] a lot of opportunity today, so I [tried] to be aggressive.”

[polldaddy poll=9573189]