Brisbane International 2016: Wednesday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Schedule
Second seed Kei Nishikori is safely through to the quarter-finals of the 2016 Brisbane International, as he overcame a game Mikhail Kukushkin in his match on Wednesday.
The Japanese star was pushed hard at times in this one, with his opponent putting a lot of pressure on his serve. But eventually Nishikori’s class shone through in a 6-3, 6-4 triumph. There was also a win for third seed Marin Cilic, who got the better of 19-year-old Hyeon Chung by a 7-5, 7-6 (3) scoreline.
Second seed Garbine Muguruza became the latest high-profile women's player to pull out of the tournament, as she withdrew from her match with Varvara Lepchenko. Fourth seed Angelique Kerber is through, though, as she won in straight sets against Madison Brengle.
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Here’s a look at the results as the quarter-final lineup was completed and a recap of the standout moments from Wednesday’s action.
| Men's Draw | |
| (2) Kei Nishikori bt. Mikhail Kukushkin | 6-3, 6-4 |
| (3) Marin Cilic bt. Hyeon Chung | 7-5, 7-6 (3) |
| Dominic Thiem bt. Denis Kudla | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Bernard Tomic bt. Radek Stepanek | 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (4) |
| Women's Draw | |
| Varvara Lepchenko bt. (2) Garbine Muguruza | 7-6 (9), 1-0 (ret) |
| (4) Angelique Kerber bt. Madison Brengle | 6-3, 6-0 |
| Samantha Crawford bt. (7) Belinda Bencic | 7-5, 7-5 |
| Victoria Azarenka bt. Ysaline Bonaventure | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Andrea Petkovic bt. Ekaterina Makarova | 7-5, 6-4 |
| Ivan Dodig | vs. | Milos Raonic |
| Roger Federer | vs. | Tobias Kamke |
| David Goffin | vs. | Lucas Pouille |
| Viktor Troicki | vs. | Grigor Dimitrov |
| Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | vs. | Angelique Kerber |
| Andrea Petkovic | vs. | Samantha Crawford |
| Victoria Azarenka | vs. | Roberta Vinci |
| Varvara Lepchenko | vs. | Carla Suarez Navarro |
Nishikori, Cilic Battle into Quarters
As the star attraction on Wednesday in Brisbane, big things were expected of Nishikori when he took to the court against relatively modest opposition. But it was Kukushkin who made the early running in this one, breaking the former US Open finalist in the opening game of the match.
However, Nishikori was able to regroup at the Pat Rafter Arena, getting back on level terms in the fourth game of the set and then breaking the Kazakh late on to secure the crucial opening stanza 6-3.
After an early scare in the first set, the second seed ensured there were no worries for his fans at the start of the second, as Nishikori broke Kukushkin in the opening game. While the underdog did battle hard to get the break back, his classy opponent was able to dominate the majority of the exchanges, eventually taking it 6-4 and moving into the last eight.
Live Tennis gave us a rundown of the numbers in what was an intriguing tussle:
"Kei #Nishikori defeats Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-4 & is through to #BrisbaneTennis QF! pic.twitter.com/iIXc7Tfkna
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) January 6, 2016"
Cilic is also into the last eight, as he also eventually overcame a diligent opponent in teenager Chung on Wednesday.
The towering Croatian was made to work hard in the opening set and was actually broken by his opponent in the fifth game of the match. But Cilic was able to establish his serve throughout the first set, and with a tiebreak looming, he snatched a fourth set point to take the opener 7-5 and edge in front.
With his resistance broken, the youngster found things much more difficult in the second stanza initially, with the former US Open champion grasping an early break. In fairness to Chung, he broke back late on to force a tiebreak, but Cilic eventually prevailed.
It was a disappointing day for the women's second seed, Muguruza, who was forced to retire from her match with Lepchenko after losing the first set on a tiebreak.
As noted by WTA Insider, she's one of a selection of the world's top women's players to have suffered poor fortune with injuries as of late
Kerber now looks the toughest prospect in the women’s draw, as she surged past American star Brengle and into the last eight.
After a close opener, which the German won 6-3, Kerber turned on the style in the second set, not giving her opponent a sniff and sending out a big message to the rest of the field. Beating a player of Brengle’s quality 6-0 in any set is no mean feat, after all. Here’s a look at just how impressive the fourth seed was:
It’s a women’s draw that is wide open for the likes of Kerber following the withdrawals of Muguruza, top seed Simona Halep and third seed Maria Sharapova. So while the quarters may be short of high-profile names, we should see some very exciting contests in the coming days in Brisbane.
Thursday will see the return of men’s top seed Roger Federer, who headlines an intriguing bill of matches at the Pat Rafter Arena.
The Swiss is seeking to end an overdue wait for a Grand Slam title in 2016 and retaining this tournament, which he won last year after a thrilling final against Milos Raonic, would be a brilliant way to begin the year.
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