Kei Nishikori +259 in ATP Rankings after making history with shock Stefanos Tsitsipas win
Kei Nishikori has become the lowest-ranked man to reach a Masters 1000 third round in 20 years after stunning Stefanos Tsitsipas in Montreal.
Defying a rankings gap of 565 places, world No 576 Nishikori stunned world No 11 Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to guarantee at least one more match at the Canadian Open.
It is the first top-20 win in three years for the former world No 4, who has spent large spells on the sidelines due to repeated injuries.
And it was a dominant performance at points, leading 5-1 in the first set before overcoming a wobble to close out the opener and run away with victory.
“It means a lot – beating Stef is not easy,” said the Japanese in his on-court interview.
“For me, it’s a great win. I was playing really well, staying aggressive, I wasn’t missing too many balls today. [It was] much better than the first round.
“Beating those two good players and also playing well again, I feel like I’m back on track again. I’m really happy with the way I played today.”
Having won just one of his five tour-level matches in 2024, the 2014 US Open finalist has now picked up back-to-back victories in Montreal.
Using a protected ranking to enter the draw, the 34-year-old came from a set down to beat Alex Michelsen in round one, before his incredible win over the eighth seed on Thursday.
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Those consecutive victories mean that the Japanese will jump back inside the top 350 of the ATP Rankings, leaping 259 spots to world No 317 on the live rankings.
Victory in his round three match would propel him back inside the top 250.
No matter what happens next, Nishikori has made history by becoming the lowest-ranked player since Tommy Haas in 2004 to reach this stage of a Masters event.
The German was world No 882 when he reached this stage of Indian Wells in 2004, making Nishikori the second lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the 21st Century.
And the Japanese is the third lowest-ranked of all time – and lowest outside of Indian Wells – with Darren Cahill ranked world No 1,013 when reaching the third round of Indian Wells in 1994.
Injuries have ravaged Nishikori in recent times, with the 34-year-old most struggling with hip and foot issues.
However, at his peak, he was one of the most accomplished players of his generation.
His greatest achievement was that run to the US Open final a decade ago, where he beat Novak Djokovic in the last four before a final defeat to Marin Cilic.
Nishikori has reached two further US Open semi-finals in 2016 and 2018, and another nine major quarter-finals – as well as winning 12 ATP Tour titles.
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