ATP Tour

Nishikori rolls back the years for gritty Washington R1 win: 'It was not easy'

Former champion Kei Nishikori marked a memorable moment in his farewell season Tuesday at the Mubadala DC Open, where he rallied past Shang Juncheng in the first round.

The 36-year-old Japanese star, who captured the ATP 500 title in Washington in 2015, defeated Shang 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 31 minutes. Competing in his first ATP Tour match of the season, Nishikori relied on his trademark resilience to recover from a set down and advance.

"It was a great match," Nishikori, who faced no break points in the clash, said. "It was not easy. We started kinda shaky... But started playing better in the second set. And, especially in the third set, I think I played really solid. Good serve for me today."

With the victory, the former World No. 4 earned his first ATP Tour win since defeating Learner Tien in the first round in Geneva last May. The Japanese star has now notched at least one tour-level triumph in 20 consecutive seasons, dating back to 2007.

Making his ninth and final main-draw appearance in Washington, Nishikori will next face eighth seed Arthur Fils or #NextGenATP star Rafael Jodar.

Shang was competing for the first time since February, when he fell in the first round in Dubai. The Chinese star had been sidelined due to a foot injury and was seeking his first victory since the Australian Open in January.

In other action, Taylor Fritz ignited his latest quest for a first title of 2026 on Monday in Washington, where he recorded his 250th hard-court win.

The third-seeded American landed just 51 per cent of first serves, according to Infosys ATP Stats, but saved all four break points he faced to notch a 6-3, 6-4 first-round win against Zizou Bergs. Fritz is playing in his third ATP 500 event of the season, having reached the final in both Dallas, where he held three championship points against Ben Shelton, and Halle, where he fell to Frances Tiafoe.

“Just how I got out of those service games,” Fritz said when asked about what he was most pleased with. “He had a few break chances, but when I served out the first and went up a break in the second, I felt like the momentum was on my side at that point. It’s really good to get out of those games and to finish the match unbroken.”

Fritz is competing for the first time since his run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, where he struggled with a knee injury in his straight-sets defeat to Alexander Zverev. The No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fritz will next meet countryman Tommy Paul or Kamil Majchrzak.

Earlier, Lorenzo Musetti led countryman Matteo Arnaldi 6-0, 3-1 when his fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi retired. The fourth-seeded Musetti is playing for the first time since reaching the fourth round of his home ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome in May.

Alejandro Tabilo opened Monday's action by defeating former Washington finalist Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4. Since reaching the fourth round at Roland Garros in June, Tabilo notched just one win from seven matches, but the Chilean earned a statement win on his D.C. debut.