Reunited with coach Grant Doyle and injury-free, Ryan Harrison qualified for Memphis and won his first-round match before falling to world No. 5 Kei Nishikori in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Harrison, currently ranked No. 165, won three matches in qualifying and defeated Malek Jaziri in the first round. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the American experienced several injuries during the previous season but is back with his former coach and now sees himself as better equipped for climbing the ranks than when he was a teenager.
"I feel like part of that is because the first time I came through the Challengers and qualifying," he was quoted as saying, "I was 17, 18 or 19 years old and there was absolutely no pressure."
That meant he wasn't used to performing on big occasions and defeating top players, the 22-year-old suggested. “I didn't feel like I was prepared to play well.”
Harrison’s loss to Nishikori means he is now 0-22 against Top 10 players. The two both spent some time training at the famed Bollettieri academy as juniors. “I know his game really well,” Harrison said before their match. “Obviously, he's gotten a lot better and improved a lot of things. He's found a different gear.”