Muller defeats Nishikori in Hong Kong to claim his first title on tour

The Frenchman staged a comeback against Kei Nishikori in the ATP 250 final on Sunday

Alexandre Muller (Federico Pestellini / Panoramic)

Tennis Majors

January 5, 2025

Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open •Final • completed

See draw

K. NishikorivsA. Muller

Frenchman Alexandre Muller lifted the Hong Kong Open trophy by beating Japanese wildcard Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 at the Victoria Park Tennis Centre on Sunday.

Muller needed an hour, 44 minutes to complete a comeback against Nishikori, who dominated the opening set, breaking twice combined with 15 winners.

Henceforth, however, the Frenchman kept his opponent on bay, breaking the Japanese four times and benefitting from a staggering 32 unforced errors, to win his first tour-level title.

The moment Alexandre Muller defeated Nishikori 2-6 6-1 6-3 to secure his maiden tour-level title 🏆@Alex2Mumu #BOCHKTO pic.twitter.com/CDscW3NVSU
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 5, 2025

Ahead of his victory, the Frenchman beat Swiss qualifier Marc-Andrea Huesler (2-6, 6-4, 6-3), Serb Miomir Kecmanovic (5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (10)), No 4 seed Arthur Fils (3-6, 6-3, 6-1) and Spaniard Jaume Munar (4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4).

The 35-year-old Japanese beat defeated Canadian Denis Shapovalov (6-2, 6-3), Russian Karen Khachanov, the No 3 seed (4-6, 6-3, 7-5), Cameron Norrie (6-3, 3-6, 6-2) and Chinese Juncheng Shang (4-3 ret.) in the previous rounds of the Hong Kong tournament.