Tomic and Nishioka clinch titles: A magical week of resurgence

Both Bernard Tomic and Yoshihito Nishioka prevailed in their finals, with Tomic winning his first title since 2015 while Nishioka won his first ever ATP title.

While Tomic had a fall of grace that led to a downward spiral in the rankings, Nishioka had to take a prolonged break from the sport due to an ACL tear. Both have now surged once again after a long journey of recovery.

Saving and squandering 4 match points

Tomic was down 3 match points together at 6-3 in the final set tiebreaker on Fabio Fognini’s serve. The Australian managed to clinch 3 points in a row, one of which was incredibly close, hitting the net cord and bouncing a few feet inside the other side of the court. After saving another match point, Tomic finally managed to clinch his first title since 2015, falling to the ground, breaking down and kissing the court and raising his arms up in triumph.

A lot was said about the troubled Australian after his fall from grace and he had been slowly gaining traction to get to today. His talent was never really doubted and he proved spectators and pundits alike that he reached the top 20 for a reason.

Meanwhile, Nishioka’s prolonged absence from the sport came at perhaps the worst possible time. Just as the Japanese player was climbing the ranks, he tore his ACL and had to rest for 8 months, unable to run until the 3-month mark.

His return was marred with several retirements in matches and he struggled to find his form. Until now, where he played with grit and determination of a Japanese samurai to win his first ever title..

This wasn’t without fault, however. Nishioka squandered 4 match points on Herbert’s serve until he finally sealed the deal. He’ll be happy with the result regardless.

Both return to the top 100

The coveted top 100, membership of which allows direct entry into slams. Tomic will be ranked 76 while Nishioka will be ranked 95 in the rankings.