Yoshihito Nishioka opens up about tanking the match to receive multiple penalties in the second-round match against Hubert Hurkacz
Yoshihito Nishioka explains why he lost his cool during the second-round match against Hubert Hurkacz.
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Yoshihito Nishioka (Via Imago/X)
Yoshihito Nishioka recently fell prey to the monsters in his head as he lost his cool during the Cincinnati Masters’ second-round match against Hubert Hurkacz. It was an important match for both the talented players, who needed to get some momentum behind them before the US Open.
Heading into the match, Nishioka was the underdog, who had the perfect start to win the first set and even came close to match points in the next one. Hurkacz soon fought back and forced the second set into a tie-break, which he won.
Nishioka was three points away from winning the match and now had to play the third set. This second set shook the Japanese, who lost his cool in the next set. He hit the ball out multiple times and received penalties accordingly. The umpire first issued Nishioka a code violation for unsportsmanlike behavior, resulting in a lost point. When he repeated the offense, he was penalized an entire game.
He tanked the match and lost 6-3, 6(4)-7, 1-6. In the post-match interview, Nishioka blamed bad luck for his frustration, which boiled over after losing a break in the final set.
In the very important points, he played amazingly and maybe got some luck. I had 19 break points and I only won 10%, which is unusual. To be honest, I got a little bit unlucky today.Yoshihito Nishioka said via tennis.com
Nishioka was unable to secure the many break point chances that he was presented with, which added to the frustration. The Japanese had only 2 out of 19 converted breakpoints, whereas Hurkacz had won 2 out of 4.
Yoshihito Nishioka takes back positives from Cincinnati loss against Hubert Hurkacz
Yoshihito Nishioka boiled over with frustrations as matters got worse for him at the Cincinnati Open. He received multiple penalties that resulted in his loss against Hubert Hurkacz in the second round. After the match, the Japanese ace was apologetic for his behavior and hoped to have better luck at the US Open.
He knew that he had a lot of support in the US after his country and took back some positives from the tournament, including his first-round win against Miomir Kecmanovic. Nishioka has never won a match at the US Open since 2019 and is rather confident to do well there.
I had a lot of support here and in the U.S. as well, and in my home country. I had a good result here, beating [Miomir] Kecmanovic, who is a great player. I had good play against Hubi in our first meeting, but in the third set, I tanked a little bit.Yoshihito Nishioka said
With Thursday’s loss against Hurkacz, Nishioka is out of the tournament, sending the Pole to the third round. Hurkacz will take on Flavio Cobolli next today.
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