Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori has gained direct entry into the main draw of the men’s singles at the Wimbledon championships based on his world ranking.
The 18-year-old Nishikori is ranked 99th as of Monday, six weeks before the tournament, making him one of the 104 players who do not have to go through the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon.
Nishikori became the first Japanese winner on the ATP Tour in 16 years with his victory at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships in February.
He went on to become the youngest-ever Japanese Davis Cup player in early April and his win at the lower-tier Bermuda Open in late April raised his ATP ranking to a career-high 99th.
At the upcoming French Open, he will play in the qualifying rounds.
May 14th, 2008 at 09:03
Great news!