Kei Nishikori is defeated by Taylor Fritz, who advances to the ATP Atlanta Open 2023 semifinal

Top-seeded On Friday, Taylor Fritz defeated former world number four Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the ATP Atlanta Open semifinals.

The ninth-ranked Fritz advanced to his sixth tour-level semi-final of the year with his first professional victory in four matches against Nishikori.

As he made his way back from left hip surgery in January 2022, Nishikori was taking part in his first ATP competition since 2021.

In his post-match on-court interview, Fritz remarked, “I’m super happy how I played today, getting better and better each day I feel like.”

“I can carry a lot of good things into the next game. I’ve known Kei since I first began. He’s a nice person and a fantastic player.

Fritz, who had faced Nishikori three times before but hadn’t faced him since 2019, said, “I’m just happy to see him back playing again, having good results, and hitting the ball well after being injured for so long.”

The 2014 US Open runner-up and 12-time ATP champion Nishikori began his return this year on the lower-level Challenger Tour, winning the Caribbean Open Challenger in Puerto Rico in June.

He was rated 439th before he came in Atlanta. He beat China’s Shang Juncheng and Australian Jordan Thompson to go to the quarterfinals.

But through the first five games, he and Fritz easily maintained their serve. Fritz eventually capitalized on the match’s first break point to win the first set after 34 minutes.

After receiving treatment for his left knee during a medical break in between sets, Nishikori, who seemed to be having some difficulty moving around the court, was unable to recover after losing service in the second game.

Fritz will compete against eighth-seeded American J.J. Wolf for a spot in the championship round. Fritz is going for his second championship of the year after capturing his fifth career title at Delray Beach in February.

Wolf defeated Dominik Koepfer of Germany 6-2, 6-3.