Kei Nishikori and Misaki Doi both reached the fourth round after straight-set third-round victories on Saturday, a day of frequent rain interruptions at Wimbledon.
In the only Grand Slam in which he has yet to reach the quarterfinals, Nishikori has begun to look comfortable and confident on grass, taking every opportunity to volley. Russian Andrey Kuznetsov, ranked 42nd in the world, posed problems with his booming forehands, but his inaccuracy proved costly as Nishikori triumphed 7-5, 6-3, 7-5.
"It was a long match. I managed to disrupt his rhythm with slices and my strokes were solid," Nishikori said after his marathon match.