Yoshihito Nishioka hit with multiple penalties over ‘severe meltdown’ against Hubert Hurkacz at the Cincinnati Open; video goes viral

Yoshihito Nishioka hit with multiple point penalties after entering self-destruct mode during a match against Hubert Hurkacz.

Yoshihito Nishioka hit with multiple penalties over ‘severe meltdown’ against Hubert Hurkacz at the Cincinnati Open; video goes viral

Yoshihito Nishioka (Via Imago/X)

Tensions were high during the round-two match between Hubert Hurkacz and Yoshihito Nishioka at the Cincinnati Masters. Despite a strong start, Nishioka lost after multiple-point penalties. The tournament has featured several heavyweight clashes, including this battle between two talented players.

Hurkacz is the fifth seed of the tournament and was expected to win the match easily, but was surprised by the level of tennis Nishioka brought to the table on Thursday. After a perfect start, the Japanese had taken a first-set lead and was up and running to even win the match in straight sets.

YouTube video

However, Hubert Hurkacz fought back to force a tie-break out of the second set. Nishioka was only three points away from winning the match but lost those chances as the Pole won the tie-break. This was where the frustrations began for Nishioka, who could not maintain his cool in the third set and received many penalties for it.

FS Video

At 1-2 in the third set, Nishioka hit three balls out of the court due to frustration. He received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct and started the next set a point down. However, he went into self-destruct mode after this and was visibly annoyed with the match.

After a game, he once again hit the ball out, and this time was penalized for a whole game. Even during the timeout, he sat behind the court, talking to his team. With multiple warnings and penalized points, Nishioka lost every chance at a comeback and eventually lost the match 6-3, 6(4)-7, 1-6. On the brink of a straight-set win, the Japanese player’s frustration led to a stunning loss, allowing Hurkacz to advance in the Cincinnati Open.

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Yoshihito Nishioka apologizes to the fans after losing his calm during the match against Hubert Hurkacz

Things went from bad to worse after Yoshihito Nishioka had to forfeit a whole game because of unsportsmanlike behavior. It was Nishioka’s 10th loss to a Top-10 player despite coming very close to winning.

Yoshihito Nishioka (Via Imago)

Nevertheless, he realized his mistake and apologized to the fans for his behavior. In an interview after the match, the Japanese ace revealed that he played his best tennis till the second set but was just unlucky and hoped that the US Open held better luck for him. 

I’m very sorry to my fans. I showed my best tennis until the second set when I couldn’t. Hopefully, there’ll be some luck to me at the US Open. 
Yoshihito Nishioka said (H/T: Tennis.com)

With that, Nishioka is out of the tournament sending Hubert Hurkacz to the third-round. The Pole will take on Flavio Cobolli next. He too has not had much luck in the recent tournament and will hope to make the most of his time in Cincinnati before the big US Open.

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