Tennis: Nishikori reaches Atlanta Open q’finals on ATP tour return

Japan’s former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori reached the quarterfinals of the Atlanta Open on Thursday, beating China’s Shang Juncheng 6-4, 7-6(3) in the second round of the ATP 250 tournament.

The 33-year-old, currently ranked 439th and making his first appearance on the ATP Tour since October 2021, broke his opponent’s serve in the opening and seventh games to win the first set before prevailing from the second-set tiebreak against the 18-year-old, 156th-ranked Shang.

Nishikori beat 63rd-ranked Australian Jordan Thompson 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the first round on Tuesday. “This match was better than t...