Fifth seed Kei Nishikori has come from behind to beat Ivan Dodig 4-6 7-5 6-2 7-6 in the second round of the Australian Open.
Nishikori struggled with problems on serve throughout the early stages, and despite breaking back after one loss of serve, the fifth seed was trailing once again when Dodig converted another break point.
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Dodig handled the pressure impressively to secure the opening set, and he continued to look comfortable for long spells as Nishikori battled to find his rhythm on the baseline.
At 6-5 to Nishikori the second set appeared to be heading for a tie-break, but a couple of unforced errors from Dodig opened the door to the US Open finalist, who took full advantage to get back on level terms.
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Nishikori stormed clear after drawing level, and his ability to change pace was key as he broke twice to take the third set in comfortable fashion.
Despite the impressive fightback from Nishikori, Dodig refused to stray too far away from his gameplan, and he was rewarded with a break of serve early in the fourth set.
The Croatian had the chance to serve for the set at 5-4, but Nishikori hit back once again to pull level with a break of his own.
Dodig's challenge quickly faded as Nishikori secured an emphatic 7-0 success in the tie-break to keep alive his dream of winning a first Grand Slam title.
Callum Mulvihill
