Kei Nishikori defeated Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-4, 6-3 at the Italian Open on Thursday to set up a quarterfinal match against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
The 34th-ranked Troicki traded breaks with Nishikori in both sets before the Japanese ace found a decisive advantage. In the first set, while on-serve at 5-4 in favor of Nishikori, the Serbian dumped a forehand into the net on triple break point to give his opponent a one-set advantage.
Nishikori came up with another crucial break in the eighth game of the second set, giving himself a 5-3 lead and a chance to serve for the match. After battling through a string of deuces, Nishikori converted his fifth match point to close out Troicki in just under an 90 minutes.