Kei Nishikori fought back to defeat Alex Michelsen 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the National Bank Open on Tuesday. This victory marks Nishikori’s first win in an ATP Masters 1000 event in three years, a significant achievement for the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up who has faced numerous injuries in recent years. He hadn’t won a match at this level, just below the four Grand Slam tournaments, since Indian Wells in 2021. Nishikori, a finalist in the Canadian tournament in 2016, will face No. 8 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round.
Another former Grand Slam finalist, Canadian Milos Raonic, had to withdraw before his first-round match against No. 13 seed Holger Rune due to a shoulder injury. Raonic, who had experienced pain in his shoulder over the past two days, explained that he was unable to serve effectively. “I tried to warm up for my match today and the thing that was most difficult was the serve. I don’t think I would’ve been able to be competitive by any means,” said Raonic, who has been sidelined by injuries throughout his career. “I’ve had a lot of moments (in my career) where I haven’t been able to play, but I’d say this is probably the most difficult one. I haven’t played here in five years, and I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to Montreal.”
Rune capitalized on Raonic’s absence, going on to beat Roberto Bautista Agut, who had lost in the final round of qualifying, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Pablo Carreno Busta, the 2022 tournament champion, earned his first ATP Tour victory since the first round of the 2023 Australian Open, defeating Fabian Marozsan 6-7 (8), 7-6 (6), 6-3. The Spanish player had been sidelined for 15 months due to an elbow injury.
Other first-round winners included No. 15 Alejandro Tabilo, who defeated Frances Tiafoe in straight sets, No. 16 seed Karen Khachanov, and Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
