Nishikori beats Karlovic to retain Memphis title

Tennis star from Japan ecstatic after successful defence.

MEMPHIS: Japanese top seed Kei Nishikori won his second consecutive ATP US Indoor Championships crown on Sunday, beating big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) in the final.

It was the fourth career ATP title for the 24-year-old from Shimane, “It’s an amazing feeling,” Nishikori said. “I had never defended a title before.”

Nishikori, ranked 16th, took the $103,100 top prize at the first ATP event where he was a top seed and collected his first victory in three career meetings with 80th-ranked Karlovic, who won $54,300.

The Japanese tennis star was the first repeat champion at Memphis since Germany’s Tommy Haas in 2006 and 2007. The only other was US legend Jimmy Connors.

Karlovic, who fired 56 aces to reach the final without dropping a service game, failed in his bid for a sixth career ATP crown despite blasting 20 aces past Nishikori, who had eight of his own in response.

Nishikori, coached by retired US star Michael Chang, reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing to world number one Rafael Nadal.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2014.

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