Yoshihito Nishioka advances to Atlanta Open final

Rinderknech continued to hit the ball too hard, causing it to go out of bounds. Nishioka made it 5-3. Rinderknech couldn’t believe how often he was hitting the net on his returns and he also couldn’t get to the right spots to return his shots. This allowed Nishioka to easily win the first set 6-3.

The second set started similarly to the first set, with Rinderknech off balance and unable to return a serve, either hitting it out of bounds or sending it back into the net. Rinderknech’s service game picked up speed, with a 205 km/h serve followed by a 212 km/h ace shortly after. This allowed him to level the second set at 1-1.

The second set was longer than the first and Nishioka seemed to have the stamina to continue as he did not tire, unlike Rinderknech. However, aces kept Rinderknech in the match, making it 2-2. Rinderknech responded with a drop shot in the fifth game of the second set, something Nishioka was not prepared for.

Nishioka took a big lead in the next game, but Rinderknech played arguably his best game yet, holding off a deuce to take the win and avoid the deficit that would have allowed Nishioka to win earlier. Nishioka struggled to get closer towards the end of the set, but missed a close-range return that cost him the game. Rinderknech looked to take a 5-3 lead, waking up from his slow start.

Rinderknech also improved his ball placement, as Nishioka was no longer able to get to the spot and return them. Rinderknech finished the second set strong, dishing out two aces and a drop shot. By winning the second set, Rinderknech was able to move on to the third and final set.

The third set continued to be competitive, with the first game going to three deuces before Nishioka was able to prevail. The match came down to who controlled the serve. The crowd began to cheer for both players, with the fans getting their money’s worth as the match went to three sets.

The pattern continued, with the players who controlled their serve winning their respective sets. The two players were tied in the third set, the score was 3-3, with both players committing unforced errors. Nishioka made it 4-3 with the crowd behind him as the final was within reach.

At 4-4, Rinderknech and Nishioka shared two superb rallies that lasted over 20 returns, bringing the crowd to life late in the evening. Things got tighter down the stretch as they traded points.

But in the end, Nishioka prevailed, having to come back from two points to beat Rinderknech 6-4 in the third set.

The match statistics were similar at the end of the match, but the result could be attributed to Rinderknech’s five double faults, while Nishioka had zero.

Nishioka fell on his back in relief after winning the match.

“It’s not easy to play like that against him. This kind of match is always difficult to play,” Nishioka said. “But if I can play like that, then my ranking can get back into the top 50 or better in a few weeks.”

Credits: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credits: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Nishioka will face fourth-ranked Jordan Thompson of Australia on Sunday. Nishioka leads Thompson 4-0 in head-to-head meetings, with their last meeting coming at the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters.

“We know each other well from playing together many times, so it’s going to be a long match for sure. I’m going to have to worry about his serve and his baseline play, it’s going to be a battle,” Nishioka said. “It’s going to be a mental battle tomorrow. We both want to win, so whoever is more aggressive in the important points will win.”

Thompson could win another singles title this year, after his victory in Los Cabos, Mexico, in February. For Nishioka, it would be his first singles title this year.