Kei Nishikori had to battle hard in his opener in Rome against Viktor Troicki. The Japanese no.1 looked to be done after he lost the first set to call the doctor on-court (he said he “couldn’t breathe.”) Eventually, Kei found his way to regroup and win the match 5-7 6-2 6-3 after 1 hour and 55 minutes.

Nishikori. I had to be more aggressive

Kei said that being more aggressive was essential to winning this match “After the first set I tried to step in a little more, and I think in the first set I wasn’t aggressive enough to keep him moving side to side. I think in the second and third sets, I started hitting much better backhands, started playing angles, down the line, and everything worked well after first set. Tennis-wise I’m happy with what I’m doing. I think I’m serving well, returning well.”

Kei will play either Gasquet or Seppi in the 3^rd round. 

Amazing shot from @KeiNishikori. Pure brilliance from the Japanese. And from the Serb. 😉#MMOPEN https://t.co/c5NTaFF7FU

— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 7, 2016

THE DRAW