Kei Nishikori is one victory away from his second Rakuten Japan Open title after his 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-2) victory over unseeded Benjamin Becker of Germany on Saturday in the semifinals.
Nishikori, who is nursing a lower-back injury, started slowly and appeared to have trouble with his mobility, before turning it on in the second set before another huge crowd at Ariake Colosseum.
The fourth-seeded Nishikori ultimately prevailed with his strong baseline game and some timely shot-making. Becker battled valiantly in the final set, but came apart in the tiebreaker.