Kei Nishikori Reaches Finals, Faces Rafael Nadal Next

MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - APRIL 21: Kei Nishikori of Japan takes a break between points during his men's Semi-Final match against Alexander Zverev Jr. of Germany during day seven of ATP Masters Series: Monte Carlo Rolex Masters at Monte-Carlo Sporting Club on April 21, 2018 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - APRIL 21: Kei Nishikori of Japan takes a break between points during his men's Semi-Final match against Alexander Zverev Jr. of Germany during day seven of ATP Masters Series: Monte Carlo Rolex Masters at Monte-Carlo Sporting Club on April 21, 2018 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Kei Nishikori has reached the finals at the 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters. He takes on the ten-time champion Rafael Nadal for the title.

Can Kei Nishikori complete the unexpected title-run at the 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters?

If so, he’ll need to get past ten-time champion Rafael Nadal. The Spanish superstar is also the current world No. 1 in men’s singles tennis. With Roger Federer out of the picture for the time being, Nadal is the odds on favorite in any tournament he plays, especially if it’s on clay. Nishikori, however, is an accomplished player in his own right. Returning from injury in recent months, the Japanese tennis star is rediscovering himself on the ATP World Tour.

Nishikori and Nadal square off at Monte-Carlo on Sunday. The Japanese tennis star is the current world No. 36 but don’t let the ranking fool you. He has reached as high as the world No. 4 ranking in men’s singles tennis. Previously, Nishikori has two wins over the top seeded Nadal. The world No. 1 does have the ultimate scoreboard over him though. With a 9-2 career ATP singles record against Nishikori, Nadal must be considered the favorite moving forward.

Kei Nishikori defeats both Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev in order to reach the finals at the 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters.

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Taking down the second and third seeds already, Kei Nishikori has the chance to continue his upset streak in Monte-Carlo. As for Nadal, he takes down current ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov in order to reach the finals. The 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters has essentially been a who’s who on the 2018 ATP World Tour. Excluding a few, all of the best players in men’s singles tennis have shown up to play this week. With action at the French Open right around the corner, Monte-Carlo is proving to be the perfect warm-up event for the upcoming Grand Slam. Nishikori will seek his first career title at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 event when he takes on Nadal in the finals. Stay tuned to see if he can compete his fantastic run at the tournament and cap it off with a title.