World number 77 Hurkacz stuns top seed Nishikori in Dubai

Hubert Hurkacz of Poland stunned top seed Kei Nishikori of Japan at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesda.y

Hubert Hurkacz, the world number 77 from Poland, won the biggest match of his life as he stunned top seed and world number six Kei Nishikori 7-5 5-7 6-2 to storm into the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday. 
It was the 22-year-old Hurkacz's first win over a top-10 player. The incredible win also earned Hurkacz his first quarterfinal appearance on the Tour. 
Having lost a tight first set, Nishikori was in unstoppable form in the second set, winning the first four games before enjoying a commanding 5-2 lead.
But the Japanese superstar began making unforced errors as Hurkacz fought back with two breaks of serve to make it 5-5.
Hurkacz was broken in the next game and Nishikori took the match into the third set.
The Polish player then turned up the heat on his experienced rival in the third set with his solid baseline game to complete the memorable win with two breaks of serve.
"It was an incredible match for me to play against Kei Nishikori. He is an unbelievable player. He has had an amazing career. He has been a top-player for so many years now. So this win means a lot to me," Hurkacz said.
Hurkacz will now take on the winner of the match between fifth seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and Belarusian qualifier Egor Gerasimov.
Meanwhile, in another early match on Wednesday, Lithuanian qualifier Richard Berankis beat Denis Kudla of the US in straight sets (6-4 6-1).
In late matches on Tuesday night, Tsitsipas and sixth seed Borna Coric entered the second round with their respective three sets wins.
Greek sensation Tsitsipas beat Matthew Ebden of Australia 6-4 3-6 6-3 while Coric overcame Lucky Loser Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic (7-5 3-6 7-6 (7/4) in a grueling encounter that lasted two hours and 49 minutes.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com