Nishioka upsets Rublev to reach Citi Open final alongside Kyrgios
Yoshihito Nishioka takes out No 2 seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Saturday at the ATP 500 tournament in Washington, DC. Nick Kyrgios awaits Nishioka in the final.
Against all odds, Yoshihito Nishioka is through to a third ATP final and is one win away from a second title.
Nishioka needed three hours and 35 minutes to outlast Dan Evans in the Citi Open quarter-finals on Friday evening and then he had to go up against No 1 seed Andrey Rublev on Saturday. But neither fatigue nor the opponent seemed to be an issue, as Nishioka pulled off a 6-3, 6-4 upset in one hour and 19 minutes.
Nishioka vs. Kyrgios in Washington, DC final
The Japanese left-hander’s reward is a showdown against Nick Kyrgios in Sunday’s final. Kyrgios is going for his second title at this ATP 500 event, having previously triumphed in 2019.
“I love to play here; I have been here many times,” Nishioka reflected. “But for tomorrow everyone loves Nick, as well. Hopefully still they [cheer for] me, but (I’m) just (going to) enjoy the day tomorrow. (It is my) first time (in a) final in a 500. I’m excited.”
Prior to Saturday’s result, Nishioka knocked off Jenson Brooksby (6-4, 6-3), Alex De Minaur (3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2), Karen Khachanov (7-6(2), 7-6(1)), and Evans (7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5).
Rublev defeated Jack Draper (6-4, 6-2), Maxime Cressy (6-4, 7-6(8)), and J.J. Wolf (6-2, 6-3).