Nishikori’s home tournament is tied above all to one line in the list of finals. In 2018, the Japanese player reached the title match in Tokyo, but lost to Daniil Medvedev 6-2 6-4. It is Nishikori’s only final among the Tokyo tournaments from 2017-2022 included in the api.tennis data. He has no titles in that span.
The 2018 final without a lost hope of a set
The 2018 title match ended in two sets. Medvedev won the first 6-2, and in the second Nishikori lasted longer but lost 4-6. A year later, the trophy in Tokyo went to Novak Djokovic, who beat John Millman in the final 6-3 6-2. Medvedev and Djokovic sit back to back in the list of champions, while Nishikori remained in the finalists' column.
The 2026 opening round against Tiafoe
The 2026 Japan Open was held as an ATP 500 on hard courts from 30 September to 6 October. The prize money was $2,4 million, and there were 32 players in the main draw. Nishikori came through to the 1/16 final against Frances Tiafoe and lost 4-6 4-6. The two sets unfolded in the same way, and in both the Japanese player was short by one or two games.