Kei Nishikori has said that Nicolas Almagro gave him a "tough match" in the first round at the Australian Open.
The Japanese player, who reached the final of a Grand Slam for the first time last year, beat the Spaniard in straight sets to set up a match against Ivan Dodig in round two.
The fifth seed told reporters: "Obviously it was a really tough, tough first match. He could be seeded player, and I know he was injured, but still was tough match
"It was a little bit windy, so we both didn't play maybe 100%. But I was getting more balls, especially third set, and I played much better in the third set."
Nishikori has only once been beyond the fourth round in Melbourne.
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