Kei Nishikori to face Kevin Anderson in Vienna with ATP Finals spots up for grabs
Kei Nisjikori will face Kevin Anderson in the final of the Vienna Open, as he seeks to end his 2018 drought.
The Japanese star has already played two ATP finals this year and lost them both, but he’ll get a chance to claim a crown after beating Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-4 6-3 in the semi-finals.
Nishikori has lost eight straight finals since winning the last of his 11 ATP titles in February 2016.
BIG WIN for Kei who *passes* John Isner in the ATP Race.
8. Dominic Thiem, 3535
9. Kei Nishikori, 3090
10. John Isner, 3065— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 26, 2018
Anderson, meanwhile, came through a tough match against Fernando Verdasco, eventually winning 6-3 3-6 6-4.
The final will have extra spice given the ATP Finals connotations.
Anderson will qualify for the showpiece event in London next month with a win, while Nishikori will move to within 125 points of making the cut if he can find a way past the South African.
More from Tennis365:
Marcus Buckland talks to Tennis365 as he offers insight into the real Andy Murray
Juan Martin del Potro, the comeback king of tennis, not giving up on ATP Finals
Five talking points ahead of ATP Finals: Big Three’s return, Rafael Nadal’s barren run and more
Kyle Edmund’s maiden win, how does it compare to five of Britain’s best?
Tennis Today: ‘Uncomfortable’ Novak Djokovic ‘shows off’ while Juan Martin del Potro eyes comeback