KUALA LUMPUR: US Open finalist and top seed Kei Nishikori enjoyed a winning start at the Malaysian Open ATP 250 but the defending champion jinx struck again as Joao Sousa fell in the first round at the Putra Stadium yesterday.
Sousa, the Portuguese world No. 36, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on a high after making the final at the Moselle Open, France last week.
The sixth seeded Sousa was given a rude shock as unheralded Benjamin Becker of Germany tore up the formbooks with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 win.
In the first set, Sousa had broken Becker’s serve early in the second game and surged to a 3-0 lead but the German steadily found his way back before winning the set in a tiebreak.
Becker, whose most significant claim to fame was being the last man to have played Andre Agassi on the ATP tour, held firm his serve in the second set before breaking Sousa once to claim a sensational win.
“It was not an easy win for me because I’ve been here since last Friday and all I’ve done was practising and waiting for my match,” said the 33-year-old Becker.
“I didn’t start well and he was coming out firing but I knew he was a little tired and I knew the longer the match went, the better my chances were.
“This year has been a better year compared to last and I want finish on a high note and in the end I played a good match even though I started slow.”
Sousa refused to blame fatigue for his defeat and put it down to nerves.
“I was really tired but that’s not really an excuse. It was probably because I was just nervous as this is where I won my first title ... the only one to date. It’s disappointing but that’s how life is sometimes,” said the 25-year-old.
There were no hiccups however for crowd favourite Nishikori who cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win over American Rajeev Ram in the second round.
The crowd, which gradually swelled to 1,000-strong were hoping to catch a glimpse of the world No. 8 in action and Nishikori, who received a first round bye, didn’t disappoint.
“It was almost perfect. It was a good first match and my movement, my strokes were all comfortable and I was feeling confident,” said Nishikori.
Nishikori will go on to meet Australian Marinko Matosevic, who defeated Japan’s Go Soeda 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the last eight
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