Kei Nishikori defeated Russia's Karen Khachanov on Thursday to book a spot in the quarterfinals of the Erste Bank Open.
World No. 11 Nishikori topped No. 19 Khachanov 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the ATP 500 tournament at Vienna's Stadthalle. The fifth seed will next face the winner of a match between top-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria and Sam Querrey of the United States.
Nishikori, who had lost two of their three previous meetings, broke Khachanov's serve twice in each set to wrap up the match in just over an hour.
"I'm a little surprised at this score. Everything about the match went well," Nishikori said.
The 28-year-old Nishikori is vying to compete at the eight-player ATP Finals for the first time in two years when it opens in London on Nov. 11. He sits in 10th place of the ATP Race to London rankings behind American John Isner.
Five players have already qualified for the season finale, including Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who may withdraw due to an injury he sustained at the Shanghai Masters earlier this month.
