PARIS – Fifth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan coasted into the French Open third round on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov.
Nishikori, who reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last year, fired 31 winners against just 18 unforced errors to brush aside 40th-ranked Kuznetsov in under two hours.
Nishikori clawed back an early break before reeling off five successive games to wrap up the opening set, and the world number six was rarely in trouble after that initial wobble.
“I think today was a much tougher opponent. He started very good, hitting inside of the baseline, and I know he hits really well and flat on both sides.
“After 3-1 down (in the first set) I tried to change it up a little bit and it started working better.
“Second and third set I think I played pretty good, I’m happy with my tennis today.” The 2014 US Open runner-up goes on to face former world number seven Fernando Verdasco of Spain for a place in the last 16.
Verdasco, 32, is playing his 13th Roland Garros and will present Nishikori with a formidable challenge holding a 2-1 lead in their head to head record.
