An injury-hampered Yoshihito Nishioka exited the French Open in the round of 16 with a 7-6(8), 6-0, 6-1 loss to Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Monday, falling short of reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
The No. 27 seed from Japan aggravated a groin strain during a tough first-set tiebreak loss before limping through the second and third sets.
"I unfortunately pulled it at a really crucial moment," Nishioka said of the injury he suffered before the tournament and which had been bothering him before the start of play.
"I was wondering if I should retire from the match."
Nishioka battled on, managing to win just one more game in the third and final set.
The 27-year-old was nevertheless pleased to equal his best Grand Slam result of a round-of-16 berth at this year's Australian Open, despite the effects of the injury and playing on his less-favored surface.
"Winning tough matches on my non-preferred clay courts, I feel like I've improved both mentally and in terms of my playing style," he said.
World No. 49 Etcheverry will face 22nd seed Alexander Zverev of Germany in the quarterfinals.