Kei Nishikori's hopes of defending his Rakuten Open title were wrecked Friday as the ace was beaten in three sets by sixth-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals.
No. 4 seed Nishikori, who beat Milos Raonic in last year's final to become the first Japanese man to win the tournament since it joined the ATP Tour in 1973, battled bravely after dropping the first set, but struggling with a sore lower back, succumbed 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-3 at Ariake Colosseum.
"I hurt my back and towards the end it got to the point that I could not get back (in position) after I hit the ball," said Nishikori.