Malaysian Open Tennis 2014: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
Kei Nishikori will be the star attraction at the 2014 Malaysian Open, as the Japanese world No. 8 looks to put his U.S. Open final heartache behind him with a strong showing in Kuala Lumpur. Doing so will help him to cement his qualification for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
The 24-year-old will be the top seed at Putra Stadium and, after establishing himself as one of the premier players on the planet, Nishikori will be there to be shot at by a host of players looking to make a name for themselves on the hard courts in Bukit Jalil.
And while none of the especially elite names will take to the court in Malaysia this week, there are plenty of quality players in the draw that could give Nishikori—a two-time tour winner this year—some problems.
Indeed, Joao Sousa—the 2013 champion—will be seeded sixth for this competition, and after he became the first ever Portuguese player to win an ATP title with his victory here last year, you can bet the 25-year-old will be confident of another strong display.
Julien Benneteau is also in attendance, and the Malaysian Open is a tournament that’ll stir bittersweet memories for him. The Frenchman typically plays well in Kuala Lumpur, indicated best by consecutive final appearances in 2012 and 2013. But having lost in the showpiece in two consecutive years, he’ll be desperate to put things right this time round.
He certainly should be confident coming into this one; Benneteau was part of the French Davis Cup team that recently swatted aside the Czech Republic in their recent semi-final clash.
There are some young players who will be looking to make an impression, too, and of all the burgeoning talent on show in Malaysia, perhaps it is Nick Kyrgios who’ll hog much of the spectator spotlight. And not just because of his excellent potential, either.
The 19-year-old is of Australian nationality, but his mother, Norlaila, was born in Malaysia as a princess, although she later dropped the bestowed title when she moved to Australia with her mother.
Kyrgios is excited about the prospect of playing in a nation that has such a special place in his heritage and potentially being a fan favourite, per Chris Dutton of the Canberra Times (h/t The Sydney Morning Herald):
"It's going to be exciting going back to my mum's roots. I'm not going to be out and about or eating lots of food, I'm there to play. But having fans there and people to watch is going to be pretty cool.
I've been to Malaysia a couple of times to see relatives ... I don't know much about mum's history. But hopefully they embrace me over there, too.
"
This tournament is a landmark one for the teenager, who sensationally knocked 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon earlier this year. It’ll be the first time in Kyrgios’ relatively short career that he’s been seeded for an ATP tournament, and that, coupled with the obvious significance of playing in Malaysia, could inspire him to great things on the Kuala Lumpur courts.
Check back here as the tournament progresses for all the updated scores, results and schedule for the entire 2014 Malaysian Open.
Stats via ATPWorldTour.com.
Schedule
1 of 8
| Seed | Player (Country) |
| 1. | Kei Nishikori (JPN) |
| 2. | Ernests Gulbis (LAT) |
| 3. | Leonardo Mayer (ARG) |
| 4. | Julien Benneteau (FRA) |
| 5. | Pablo Cuevas (URU) |
| 6. | Joao Sousa (POR) |
| 7. | Pablo Andujar (ESP) |
| 8. | Nick Kyrgios (AUS) |
Seedings, draw and schedule courtesy of MalaysianOpenTennis.com
Day 7: Kei Nishikori a Class Above
2 of 8
Day 6 Results
Men's Singles
(1) Kei Nishikori defeats (4) Julien Benneteau: 7-6, 6-4
Men's Doubles
(4) Marcin Matkowski and Leander Paes defeat (2) Jamie Murray and John Peers: 3-6, 7-6, 10-5
Top seed Kei Nishikori showed his class to beat Julien Benneteau in the final of the Malaysia Open. The World No. 8 was too good for the Frenchman as he eventually ran out as a 7-6, 6-4 victor in straight sets.
For Benneteau it was another heartbreaking end to a tournament in Malaysia; this was the third time in three years he's fell at the final hurdle, although you suspect he'll be first to admit that it was the U.S. Open runner-up who stepped up on the big points in this final.
The early stages of this match were actually pretty even. As is typical for big finals, both players operated conservatively in the opening stages and as such, the match was going with serve. With the scores locked at 6-6 it would be a tie-break to decided the first set.
Nishikori has had a rapid rise in 2014 and after playing in a host of high-pressure games in the past few months, you suspect that nous stood him in good stead here. And when the crunch came in the tie-break it was the Japanese that always looked the most likely to flourish.
He won the tie-break 7-4, and the momentum was well behind the World No. 8 as the second set approached.
Once you fall behind against a player like Nishikori it is perilously difficult to get back into the game. The Japanese has such a steady and compact game that yields a scarcity of mistakes, meaning that Benneteau found himself taking unnecessary chances at the start of the second set. So when Nishikori broke, it was little surprise.
From that point on it was plain sailing for Nishikori, as he served out the match to take a 6-4 win in the second set and subsequently the title of Malaysian Open champion too.
It's another high point in a stellar year for the Japanese, and with the ATP Tour Finals in London to come at the end of the season, there's little doubt he'll make an impression if he showcases form as sparkling as we've seen in Malaysia this week.
All scores and statistics via ATPWorldTour.com.
Day 6 Results: Kei Nishikori into the Final
3 of 8
Day 6 Results
Men's Singles
(1) Kei Nishikori defeats Jarkko Nieminen: 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
(4) Julien Benneteau defeats (2) Ernests Gulbis: 6-4, 6-4
Men's Doubles
(4) Marcin Matkowski and Leander Paes defeat Andre Begemann and Julian Knowles: 6-2, 6-4
(2) Jamie Murray and John Peers defeat Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea: 6-2, 7-6(0)
Top seed Kei Nishikori advanced to the final of the Malaysia Open. He dispatched dangerous Finn Jarkko Nieminen in Kuala Lumpur, but needed three sets to do it.
Nieminen had put an end to third seed Leonardo Mayer's tournament on Day 4 of the Open. However, Nieminen couldn't repeat his heroics against favourite Nishikori.
It took some determined tennis from Nishikori to keep his opponent at bay. A report from ATPWorldTour.com detailed how he wore the Finn down:
"Nishikori converted six of his 13 break points and fired eight aces as he broke down Nieminen’s resistance in one hour and 37 minutes. The 24 year old will face Julien Benneteau in Sunday’s final as he looks to win his third ATP World Tour title of the season.
"
Nishikori's final opponent, Julien Benneteau, enjoyed an easier time of things against second seed Ernests Gulbis. The Frenchman twice broke Gulbis' powerful serve. That was one of the main factors in this win.
Benneteau will need to be as resolute against the serve from Nishikori. Psychologically, the Frenchman will have to overcome his dreadful history in ATP finals, where he is 0-9, per an AP report (h/tABC News).
All scores and statistics via ATPWorldTour.com.
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Day 5 Results: Kei Nishikori Strolls into Malaysian Semi-Finals
4 of 8
Results
Mens Singles
Jarkko Nieminen defeats Pablo Andujar (7): 6-3, 6-4.
Julien Benneteau (4) defeats Pablo Cuevas (5): 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.
Ernests Gulbis (2) defeats Benjamin Becker: 6-3, 7-5.
Kei Nishikori (1) defeats Marinko Matsovic: 6-3, 6-0.
Mens Doubles
Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea defeats Leonardo Mayer and Joao Sousa: 7-6, 4-6, 10-8.
Jamie Murray and John Peers defeats Benjamin Becker and Rameez Junaid: 7-6 6-0.
Marcin Matkowski and Leander Paes defeats Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner: 6-2, 6-7, 10-6.
US Open finalist Kei Nishikori eased himself into the Malaysian Open semi-finals with a two-set victory over Australian Marinko Matsovic on Friday. The No. 1 seed put in a classy and controlled performance, sinking his opponent without dropping a break.
Earlier in the day, Jarrko Nieminen worked through a close encounter with Pablo Andujar and continued to build on the momentum gained form beating third seed Leanardo Mayer.
The Finnish player is growing in confidence and can be considered an outside shout for the title, but he will have to get beyond Nishikori to take the crown. Andujar will be bitterly disappointed at missing the opportunity to win his second ATP title of the season.
Fourth-seed Julien Benneteau progressed on his challenge to reach a third straight Malaysian Open final. He capitalised on four break points to sneak by Pablo Cuevas and will face the improving Ernests Gulbis in an intriguing semi-final.
The Latvian ended Benjamin Becker's chances of success by smashing through the German in 78 minutes. Gulbis served 12 aces and saved three break points to keep his hopes alive. He appears to be gaining confidence with every victory, reported by the ATP Tour's official website:
"Today was much better," said Gulbis. "When I broke him in the second set, I played three unbelievable points. I'm finding my game."
Both participants will be confident heading into the semis. They should also hope the eventual winner of Nishikori and Nieminen is forced into a tiring three-set match before the final, although Nishikori's form indicates this is unlikely to happen.
All stats in this article are provided by Pro Tennis Live.
Day 4 Results: Leonardo Mayer Suffers Shock Defeat
5 of 8
Results
Men's Singles
Jarkko Nieminen defeats (3) Leonardo Mayer: 7-6(5), 6-4
Benjamin Becker defeats Pierre-Hugues Herbert: 6-4, 7-6(4)
(7) Pablo Andujar defeats Michal Przysiezny: 6-4 -6-7(6), 6-3
(2) Ernests Gulbis defeats Philip Petzschner: 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-1
Men's Doubles
Leonardo Mayer and Joao Sousa defeated Daniele Bracciali and Oliver Marach: 7-6(5), 6-3
Andre Begemann and Julian Knowle defeated Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram: 6-3, 6-3
The fourth day of the Malaysian Open saw one of the tournament's top seeds condemned to a surprise early exit. Third seed Leonardo Mayer suffered a straight-sets defeat to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen.
Mayer couldn't match the efficiency of Nieminen's service game, a factor detailed by AtpWorldTour.com:
"The Finn, a semi-finalist in Montpellier (l. to Monfils), won back-to-back tour-level matches for the first time since June without facing a break point. The 33-year-old Nieminen broke serve once and won 73 per cent of his service points for victory in one hour and 40 minutes.
"
Waiting for Nieminen in the last-eight is seventh seed Pablo Andujar. The Spaniard eventually saw off Pole Michal Przysiezny, despite a gruelling second set.
There was very little to separate the pair, highlighted by the fact Andujar only won seven more points than his rival in the entire match. He broke on five occasions, but saw his own delivery penetrated three times in a tense battle.
In the end it came down to which player played the big points with greater calm, and it was the Spaniard who edged through.
Meanwhile, German Benjamin Becker continued his fine run. One day after after knocking out sixth seed Joao Sousa, he beat Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Becker was often troubled by Herbert's serve. Herbert hit 11 aces and Becker only managed to earn points on five out of 35 first serves from his opponent.
However, the Frenchman's second serve was less deadly, and he barely hit the target with more than half of his first deliveries, which allowed Becker to build pressure en route to victory.
Second seed Ernests Gulbis had almost as much trouble with German Philipp Petzschner. It took a third set for Gulbis to see off his stubborn opponent.
Petzschner saved four out of five break points to take the second set, but Gulbis ultimately had too much and was aided by 15 aces.
Gulbis also successfully converted two break points to shatter Petzschner's resolve. Gulbis will now move on to face the dangerous Becker.
Day 3 Results: Top Seed Kei Nishikori Dominates
6 of 8
Day 3 Results
Men's Singles
Benjamin Becker defeats (6) Joao Sousa: 7-6(1), 6-2
Marinko Matosevic defeats Go Soeda: 7-6, 6-4
Pablo Cuevas defeats Ivan Dodig: 3-6, 7-5, 7-5
Michal Pryzsiezny defeats Malek Jaziri: 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
(1) Kei Nishikori defeats Rajeev Ram: 6-2, 6-3.
Men's Doubles
Andre Begemann and Julian Knowle defeated (1) Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen: 6-1, 3-6, 10-6
(3) Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea defeated Frank Moser and Alexander Satschko: 6-4, 6-4
(4) Marcin Matkowski and Leander Paes defeated Marinko Matosevic and Bernard Tomic: 6-1, 6-3
Day 3 of the 2014 Malaysia Open saw tournament top seed Kei Nishikori deliver a dominant display. The Japanese ace beat Rajeev Ram in straight sets, living up to his "favourite" billing in the process.
Nishikori barely got out of second gear in an easy 6-2, 6-3 triumph. He had noticeably eased off the gas by the time he brought up match point in the second set.
Nishikori stayed in command in every area. He claimed 34 service points and added another 32 from his returns.
The emphatic win will serve as an ominous reminder to the rest of the competition that Nishikori is the player to fear in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier, the day produced a shock when sixth seed Joao Sousa was sent packing by Benjamin Becker. The experienced German, a veteran of nine pro seasons, caught Sousa cold with a strong service game.
He smashed five aces and claimed 39 points off his own delivery as Sousa struggled to find his rhythm. Taking advantage of the hard courts, Becker used a powerful serve and volley game to knock Sousa out of his stride.
Sousa's surprise exit left Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas to properly represent the tournament's top seeds. However, the fifth seed was still pushed all the way by Ivan Dodig.
Like Sousa, Cuevas had trouble with his opponent' serve. Dodig boomed nine aces and won 72 percent of his points off his first delivery.
Cuevas finished both sets strongly though and was the better man on the big points, which ultimately proved key. In victory, he earned his third straight trip to the quarter-final stage, per ATPWorldTour.com.
Elsewhere, Marinko Matosevic and Michal Pryzsiezny advanced. Both players were relatively comfortable, although the latter was pushed to a third set by Tunisian Malek Jaziri.
All match scores and statistics via ATPWorldTour.com.
Day 2 Results
7 of 8
Day 2 Results
Men's Singles Round 1
P Andujar (7) defeats G Burquier, 6-2, 6-4
J Nieminen defeats P Oswald, 6-1, 6-2
P Herbert defeats B Tomic, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7)
R Ram defeats O Jasika, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
P Petzschner defeats J Ward, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5)
G Soeda defeats K Takeuchi, 6-2, 6-1
Men's Doubles Round 1
Day 2 Recap
Seventh seed Pablo Andujar showed his quality during his his first match of the tournament, and he looks like a man set to go far this week. This Brazilian put in a scintillating performance to dispatch of Gregoire Burquier in a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 victory.
We were treated to some excellent matches on the day as well, most notably the clash between Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Bernard Tomic. Herbert took the first set with ease, but the young Australian battled back in the second to level things up. The pair couldn't be separated in a tight decider, and eventually it was Herbert who triumphed in the tie break.
If that match was the best of the day then the clash between Philipp Petzschner and James Ward couldn't have been far behind. That one also went to a deciding tie-break after three well fought matches, but it was Petzschner who eventually emerged victorious over his fellow qualifier.
Elsewhere, 33-year-old veteran Jarkko Nieminen rolled back the years with a dazzling display against Philipp Oswald. The Austrian looked a little jaded in this one after competing in both the doubles and singles competition, and it showed as the Finn ran out a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victor.
Joining the aforementioned victors in the last-16 will be Go Soeda and Rajeev Ram after they also won their first round matches.
There was more success for Petzschner in the doubles, as he and Jurgen Melzer triumphed easily over Pablo Cuevas and Santiago Gonzalez.
Day 1 Results
8 of 8
| Seed | Player (Country) |
| 1. | Kei Nishikori (JPN) |
| 2. | Ernests Gulbis (LAT) |
| 3. | Leonardo Mayer (ARG) |
| 4. | Julien Benneteau (FRA) |
| 5. | Pablo Cuevas (URU) |
| 6. | Joao Sousa (POR) |
| 7. | Pablo Andujar (ESP) |
| 8. | Nick Kyrgios (AUS) |
Seedings, draw and schedule courtesy of MalaysianOpenTennis.com
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