Kei Nishikori becomes the first Japanese man to reach the semifinals of the Japan Open with his 7-5, 6-4 upset of Tomas Berdych. "I just kept going for broke," the 17th-ranked Nishikori told reporters. "I let my mind wander to winning the match in the second set but luckily I kept my focus and got the result."
In Beijing, Chinese wildcard Zhang Ze became the first Chinese man to reach the fourth round of the China Open when he upset France's Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Zhang then fell to Florian Mayer in the quarterfinals, 6-3, 6-4.
Zhang, who is currently ranked No. 165 and should jump to around No. 145 next week, is hoping to become the first man from mainland China to crack the Top 100.
"It is my eventual ambition and goal. I hope to make it possible next year," the 22-year-old told reporters. "I've been able to play more high-level tournaments this year thanks to the ranking I started getting used to the competition and atmosphere on this stage. I have no fear, and play much more relaxed against top players."