HomeNews Kei Nishikori Enters Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
Kei Nishikori Enters Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
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NEWPORT, RI -- The International Tennis Hall of Fame has announced that Kei Nishikori, the No. 1 ranked men’s professional tennis player in Japan, has entered the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, July 7-13.
Played for the Van Alen Cup on the legendary grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships will host the top men in professional tennis from around the world.
Nishikori, at age 18, won his first ATP tournament in Delray Beach earlier this year. Ranked at No. 244 he qualified for the tournament, then went on to defeat the No. 5 seed Florian Mayer and Americans Amer Delic, Bobby Reynolds and Sam Querrey (the No. 3 seed - also saving four match points). In the final, he defeated the top seed and World No. 8 James Blake in three sets (3-6, 6-1, 6-4). In capturing the Delray Beach title he became the first Japanese player to win an ATP title since Shuzo Matsuoka in Seoul in 1992. He is also the youngest player (18 years, 1 month, 19 days) to win an ATP title since Lleyton Hewitt won in Adelaide at 16 years, 10 months, 18 days (in 1998).
Last week at London / Queen’s Club, Nishikori took the first set from World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in their third round match, before Nadal prevailed. After the match Nadal commented on Nishikori saying, “He is very, very good. He is going to be top 10 for sure, top five maybe. He's a very talented player."
On the Challenger Circuit this year, Nishikori won in Bermuda and reached the semifinal in Miami. Only turning Pro last year, Nishikori reached the quarterfinal at Indianapolis, defeated by eventual champion Dmitry Tursunov.
Nishikori began playing tennis at the age of five. Born in Shimane, Japan, he moved to the United States at the age of 14, without knowing how to speak English. As a member of the Masaaki Morita Tennis Fund group (which consists of a select few Japanese players sponsored by Mr. Morita, CEO of Sony), Nishikori started training at the Bollettieri Academy in Florida. In 2006, he captured the Roland Garros Junior Doubles title and ranked as high as No. 7 in singles. He is currently coached by former ATP Pro Glenn Weiner, who also played in Newport during his pro career.
Tickets for the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships can be purchased online at www.tennisfame.com or by calling 866-914-FAME.
The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships follows the Wimbledon fortnight and is the only ATP event played on grass in North America. Current players who will compete in Newport include Mardy Fish, John Isner, Vince Spadea, Nicolas Mahut (Campbell’s 2007 finalist) and defending champion Fabrice Santoro. In conjunction with the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, the International Tennis Hall of Fame will hold its annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, July 12th. The Class of 2008 will be represented by 1989 French Open Champion Michael Chang and contributors Mark McCormack and Eugene Scott (both posthumously). For additional information, visit www.tennisfame.com.
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