TOKYO, October 9, 2016

Nick Kyrgios fought past David Goffin in Sunday’s final of the $1,506,835 Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo, rallying 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to celebrate his biggest win in his career.

Australia’s NextGen star fired 25 aces, winning 79 per cent of his first service points. He saved 11 of the 12 break points he faced, converting two of his own to prevail after exactly two hours of play.

“It was tough, we had a lot of long rallies,” Kyrgios said. “I thought the way I returned today got me a lot of opportunities. It was a high-quality match, but I got lucky at times as well.”

The 21-year-old earns $310,330 and 500 ATP ranking points.

“I played a very tough match against Gael Monfils yesterday, so it took me a little time to get into this match. David makes you feel like the court is very small. My serve got me out of trouble today,” the Aussie explained and added:

“I enjoyed playing in front of the great crowd here. They’re very enthusiastic and very respectful. I have always loved playing in Japan.”

Granollers And Matkowski First Time Winners

Marcel Granollers and Marcin Matkowski teamed up for the very first time and clinched the doubles title, winning 6-2, 7-6 over Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram. The encounter lasted one hour and 13 minutes.

“I was at home in Spain during the US Open and sent Marcin a text, because I was looking for a partner in Tokyo. He was still playing in New York and I was already out. I knew he is a great player, and I’m happy he accepted,” said Granollers.

“We both speak good English, so it was not a problem to communicate on the court,” Matkowski said. “I’ve always played the ad court on returns and Marcel likes to play on the deuce side, so that was easy to sort out as well,” Matkowski added.