Andy Murray Defeats Kei Nishikori to Reach Semifinals in Roland Garros

British player Andy Murray, currently ranked number 1 in the world, had a shaky start in Roland Garros but managed to defeat Japanese player Kei Nishikori, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(0), and 6-1 in 2 hours and 39 minutes. This victory secured his fifth semifinal appearance in Roland Garros, and his fourth consecutive one, where he will face Swiss player Stan Wawrinka.

Murray, who has dropped three sets so far in the tournament, started off cold but slowly got into the match and came back to win, not without difficulty and effort.

The current number 1 in the world, who has a comfortable lead to maintain his ranking by the end of the tournament, is the only one among the four semifinalists who has lost sets.

The winner of the 2012 US Open and Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, Murray aims to reach his second consecutive final in Roland Garros, following his loss last year against Serbian player Novak Djokovic.

Coached by Ivan Lendl and Jamie Delgado, Murray has been improving his tennis as Roland Garros progresses, as his season has been quite mediocre, especially on clay courts.

Only his semifinal appearance in Barcelona stood out in a year where, wearing the number 1 on his back, he did not go past the third round in Monte Carlo and Madrid, nor the second round in Rome.

His start in Paris was not very promising either, dropping a set against Slovak player Martin Klizan and another set against Argentine player Juan Martín del Potro, who returned to Roland Garros after a four-year absence.

However, it was still better than last year, when he won his first two matches in five sets before reaching the final.

His opponent will be Wawrinka, who has reached his third consecutive semifinal without dropping a set, after defeating Croatian player Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-3, and 6-1 in the quarterfinals.

This will be a rematch of last year, when the Scottish player defeated the defending champion in four sets.

Wawrinka has not beaten Murray since 2015, and the British player has won 10 out of their 17 encounters, although on clay courts, the Swiss player has won two out of the three matches.

With today's victory, the Swiss player extended his winning streak to 9 consecutive wins and has a chance to leave Roland Garros as the number 2 player in the world.