Kei Nishikori recovered from dropping the first set to beat Steve Johnson 6(7)-7(9) 6-1 6-2 6-3 in the third round of the Australian Open this morning.
Two breaks in each of the last three sets represented an impressive response from the world number five after he had lost a hard-fought tie-break in the opener.
American Johnson, who knocked out British qualifier Kyle Edmund in the first round, surrendered a break early on but responded to put the first set back on serve.
That was how it would stay as a breaker was needed to settle it, and Johnson saved a set point before winning it 9-7 to surprise Nishikori by drawing first blood.
However, that was as good as it would get for the world number 38 as Nishikori broke early in the second to immediately stall Johnson's momentum, and he had levelled the match within 25 minutes of going behind.
Last year's US Open runner-up continued in the same manner as he stormed into a 5-1 lead. He saved two break points which could have given Johnson an avenue back into the set in the same game in which he clinched the third.
A final rally from Johnson came up short as Nishikori saved three more break points in the second game of the fourth, and consecutive breaks from 3-3 sealed an impressive come-from-behind win for the Japanese.
The fifth seed will face the winner of David Ferrer versus Gilles Simon in the last 16 next week.
Joe Fish
