Japan Open 2015: Thursday Tennis Scores, Results and Updated Draw Schedule

Marin Cilic cruised through to the quarter-finals of the 2015 Japan Open as he dismissed Steve Johnson in straight sets on Thursday.

Qualifier Austin Krajicek came out on top when he took on Joao Sousa, while Nick Kyrgios and Benoit Paire also progressed thanks to wins over Roberto Bautista Agut and Marcos Baghdatis, respectively.

Here are the day's results, the updated draw schedule and a review of all the action:

Result	Score
Austin Krajicek (USA) def. Joao Sousa (POR)	2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Benoit Paire (FRA) vs. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)	6-3, 2-6, 7-5
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) def. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)	6-4, 6-2
[6] Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Steve Johnson (USA)	6-3, 6-3

Date	Round	Fixture
Friday, October 9	Quarter-Final	[1] Stan Wawrinka vs. Austin Krajicek
Friday, October 9	Quarter-Final	[3] Gilles Simon vs. Gilles Muller
Friday, October 9	Quarter-Final	Benoit Paire vs. Nick Kyrgios
Friday, October 9	Quarter-Final	[2] Kei Nishikori vs. [6] Marin Cilic

Cilic Sets Up Mouthwatering Showdown

Cilic put in a resilient performance to see off a spirited Johnson in their second-round clash.

The American matched his opponent for much of the first set and earned five break points, but he was unable to convert any of them, as Cilic defied him at every turn. By contrast, the No. 6 seed was clinical in taking the only break point he was afforded, per Tennis TV:

In the second set, Johnson saved an outstanding six break points, but Cilic still broke twice to repeat the result of the opener.

Cilic will face second-seed Kei Nishikori in the pick of the quarter-finals.

Krajicek is also through after coming from a set down to upset the much higher-ranked Sousa. The New York Times' Ben Rothenberg highlighted the significance of his win:

The 25-year-old will need to produce a special performance to progress any further, though, as he takes on top-seed Stan Wawrinka.

Playing each other in the next round will be Kyrgios and Paire.

Kyrgios produced a mature and composed performance as he swept aside his opponent 6-4, 6-2 in under an hour. The fiery Australian's serving was magnificent, and a total of just eight unforced errors demonstrates the way he kept a cool head. TennisNow shared the key stats:

His quarter-final opponent had a somewhat more difficult encounter over three sets.

Paire drew first blood as he raced to the first set 6-3, but a comfortable second set for Baghdatis in which Paire failed to win a single point on his second serve, according to ProTennisLive.com, forced a decisive third set.

The Frenchman broke his opponent to take a 2-0 lead, but the Cypriot hit back with a break of his own to level at 2-2. The match followed serve until a late break at 5-5 for Paire proved decisive.

World No. 34 Kyrgios has only met Paire once before, with the Frenchman coming out on top, but if he can reproduce his exceptional performance from Thursday, the youngster has an outstanding chance of reaching the semi-finals.