World No. 9 Kei Nishikori got off to a winning start at the Geneva Open on Tuesday, taking care of Kazakhstan's 88th-ranked Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets in the second round.
Nishikori, recently hampered by a right wrist injury, saved two break points to advance to the quarterfinals 6-4, 6-3 and said he was pleased with his performance.
"Served really well today, I think that's why I played very solid. I think everything was good today," said Nishikori.
"Physically I am OK and have confidence. I want to gain more confidence as I go along."
Nishikori will next play South African Kevin Anderson, who advanced past American Jared Donaldson 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-2.
Nishikori's wrist injury forced him to withdraw from the recent Madrid Open and he was knocked out in the third round of last week's Italian Open.
He made his entry for the Geneva Open at the last minute to get clay court action ahead of the French Open, the second major of the season.
Nishikori along with defending champion Stan Wawrinka, was given a wild card, with the two top-10 players joining the field as the No. 2 and No. 1 seeds, respectively.