Kei Nishikori continues its rise in the rankings. This Monday, the Japanese was in 107th place in the world in the ATP rankings, while he was still 581st at the end of July. Injured in the shoulder in the middle of the year, the 34-year-old player has found a good rhythm since the end of the summer and finished his season in style at Challenger 125 d'Helsinkiwinning his first title of the year, the first since June 2023. In the final on Sunday, he overthrew the young Italian Luca Nardi3-6, 6-4, 6-1. The Top 100 is not very far away. And if it will surely be insufficient to enter the cut of Melbourne, Nishikori seems to have regained the level to claim entry into the Grand Slams.
Video – Benjamin Bonzi after his first ATP title in Metz
“My next goal is the Top 50”
“It's great. It's been a long time since I won a title,” he declared after his victory. “The week was very difficult, the final too. Luca played very well in the final. I almost lost, but managed to play solidly in the end. It wasn't easy. The semi-final was difficult, I played two and a half hours, I recovered for today (Sunday) and I played three more sets. It's not easy, but it was my last tournament of the year, so I tried to give 100% for this match and I think I did very well. I'm close to the Top 100 now, so my next goal is the Top 50 and to keep winning.“
