It was no easy evening for Kei Nishikori on the hard courts in Cincinnati. The Japanese star ground down Francisco Comesaña in a topsy-turvy three-set encounter, prevailing 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to advance to the last four. The match — the first meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour — reflected the uncertainty that had hung over the contest from the very first ball.
Nishikori starts strongly, Comesaña hits back
In the opening set, Nishikori produced his best tennis. The former world No. 4 — the first Asian man ever to reach a Grand Slam final — commanded proceedings with his serve and gave the Argentine precious little to work with. He took the set 6-4 and appeared to be on course for a comfortable victory.
The second set, however, belonged entirely to Comesaña. The Mar del Plata native, whose preferred surface is clay, suddenly found his rhythm on the hard court. He converted his break points with clinical efficiency while keeping his own serve virtually untouchable, clinching the set 6-1 to level the match. Comesaña won 73 percent of his service games in that second set, engineering a complete turnaround.
A deciding set full of nerves for Nishikori
The third set became a test of nerves. Both players fended off break points but also dropped serve at critical moments. Nishikori found himself under particular pressure: he failed to convert a single match point of his own, while Comesaña saved two match points before Nishikori finally broke through. The deciding set went 7-5 to the Japanese veteran.
The statistics reflected just how close the contest was: Nishikori won 51 percent of all points, Comesaña 49 percent. The Argentine struck seven aces and hit 24 winners, but 43 unforced errors proved far too costly. Nishikori converted 36 percent of his break points, while Comesaña's conversion rate of 67 percent was considerably higher — yet he still ended up on the losing side.
The twilight of a great career
This victory carries particular significance for Nishikori: the Japanese star has announced he will retire at the end of the 2026 season, making Cincinnati one chapter in a long farewell to the sport's biggest stages. On the hard courts where he once ranked among the very best in the world, he showed once again that he is still capable of winning at the highest level in his farewell year. Reaching the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open is yet another testament to that.
