Fourth seed Kei Nishikori bowed out in the second round of the Mexico Open on Wednesday after a 1-6, 7-6(8), 6-0 defeat to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. The Japanese world No. 17 comfortably took the first set after breaking his 64th-ranked opponent in the opening game of the match but Chardy dug deep to come back and even things up by winning the tiebreaker.
Nishikori needed treatment in the third set after hurting his right shoulder and a series of errors cost him a place in the quarterfinals. “I had lots of match points and the match really was there for the taking,” said Nishikori. “But I think it was a case of my opponent moving up a gear rather than me playing badly.”
“I couldn’t keep playing my game in the third set. The shoulder wasn’t really such a big deal.” Nishikori reached the quarterfinals of last week’s Copa Claro in Buenos Aires before falling to Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland. The 22-year-old normally plays on hard courts at this time of the year, but has chosen clay court events to better prepare for the French Open.
