Yoshihito Nishioka overcomes rain delays to win Atlanta Open final

The championship match started strong with both players.

Thompson hit back-to-back aces at 123 and 132 mph to tie the first set at 1-1. Nishioka continued to place the ball stellarly, being able to return shots right down the line. Thompson remained persistent, having tied it 3-3, with the final game failing to yield a point for Nishioka. Later, Nishioka missed a shot that hit the net, allowing Thompson to keep the score at 4-4.

No player won back-to-back games in the first set until Thompson pulled the score to 5-4, where he had to endure several deuces. Thompson’s drop shots and aces kept the competition in the first set, and Nishioka couldn’t get past the long early rallies, tiring and hitting the net.

Thompson continued his service game after saving another serve to close out the game, winning the first set 6-4. To do so, Thompson won the last three sets in a row.

Nishioka started the second set with a bang. Thompson had an incredible shot down the line and quickly made it 2-2 thanks to better backhands that Nishioka couldn’t return.

In the next game, Nishioka miraculously tied the score after returning a Thompson lob that sent the crowd roaring. Nishioka used better ball placement to get out of the match. Nishioka’s life gain frustrated Thompson, who threw his racket in irritation after not getting a point on another long rally. Although Nishioka began to play better, he was unable to put Thompson down and had yet to win two consecutive games. The set became 3-3 largely thanks to aces from Thompson, who had nine at the time.

At 4-4, Thompson made more unforced errors, giving up a 30-0 lead and eventually losing the match, which had ended in a tie. With Nishioka now leading 5-4, a rain interruption suspended play.

The rain interruption lasted for over four hours, with players tired and fans heading for the exits. However, both players wanted to continue in order to declare a real winner, especially in the final match of the Atlanta Open.

When play resumed, Nishioka again put Thompson on the run with his wide returns to take a 6-5 lead in the second set.

Thompson then delivered two more aces in the next game to send the second set to a tiebreak. Nishioka took a 3-0 lead in the tiebreak, frustrating Thompson once again. Nishioka dominated the tiebreak, winning it 7-2.

The third set would remain competitive, with both players battling physically and mentally until the early hours, but Nishioka would take the lead 2-0. Nishioka took a comfortable 3-1 lead. It seemed that despite the hours-long rain interruption, Nishioka was fresh and full of energy. Nishioka’s returns were too powerful for Thompson, who was under increased pressure as he trailed 4-1.

Nishioka won the final game, with Thompson’s final shot going out of bounds, a commonality for Thompson in this game.

Nishioka now has a 3-0 record in league matches, with all three of his wins coming on hard courts.

“Yes, I didn’t really think about it. It’s wonderful to make history and represent tennis players from Asia,” Nishioka said. “Shang Juncheng, who reached the semi-final here, is a teenager and he’s also a promising player.”

The win puts Nishioka inside the world’s top 50 and gives him hardware as he heads to Washington, D.C. for the DC Citi Open later this week.