Kei Nishikori Battles Past World No.159 Alessandro Giannessi in a Thrilling Five-Setter at French Open 2021

It was the first day of the French Open 2021 and fans witnessed some exciting tennis there. In one of the clashes, Kei Nishikori survived a really tough battle against Italy’s Alessandro Giannessi and defeated him in five sets. The finals scoreline of the match was 6-4, 6(4)-7(7), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

The first two sets: Kei Nishikori tries hard but Alessandro Giannessi emerges as the better player

Kei Nishikori began the first set beautifully after winning the first game. However, Giannessi was giving equal competition to the Japanese player till the fifth game. The Japanese gained the lead when he broke in the sixth game and was now leading 4-2. He broke yet again in the tenth game and took the set 6-4.

Both the players showed pure class in the second set and no one was ready to lose. Both broke three times each and the scoreline soon became 6-6. As a result, the set entered the tie-breaker.

In the tie-breaker, the Italian player took an early lead of 4-0 and gave Nishikori no chance to bounce back. Thus, it was Giannessi who won the tie-breaker 7-4 and leveled the set scoreline.

The following two sets: The match changers

World No.49 Nishikori began the third set on a high note this time as he broke in the very first game and took a 2-0 lead at the end of the second game. He didn’t face much difficulty and with the help of some really fine forehands, broke again in the ninth game. As a result, he took the third set 6-3.

The fourth set was a do-or-die set for Giannessi and he played it like that only. He broke in the very first game but Nishikori equalized the scoreline at the end of the sixth game. But he broke back and thus, won the set 6-4.

Set-5: Kei Nishikori wins the decider

The fifth set was really close and both the players put all their energy into it. It was Giannessi who broke first and was leading 3-2 at the end of the fifth game. However, Nishikori broke back in the 8th game to equalize the scoreline at 4-4. He gained two match points in the tenth game, but the Italian player saved both of them.

However, Nishikori capitalized on his third match point and conquered the set 6-4, and thus, won his first-round match at the French Open 2021.