Last year, Nishikori reached the semifinals in Brisbane. With a No. 2 seeding now and a higher profile, he's already into the quarterfinals.
Brisbane: Kei Nishikori opened his season with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Steve Johnson at the Brisbane International on Wednesday, converting a break point in each set and raising his game a notch when he needed it most.
The 25-year-old Japanese player set benchmarks for Asian men in tennis during a breakout 2014, reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open and rising to a year-end No. 5 ranking as he won four titles.
He's aiming to improve on all those standards in 2015. Last year, he reached the semifinals in Brisbane. With a No. 2 seeding now and a higher profile, he's already into the quarterfinals.
After a first-round bye, he needed only 80 minutes to advance through the second round, serving out on his fourth match point.
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