Anderson tops Nishikori in Vienna Open final, secures ATP Finals berth

South African tennis player Kevin Anderson on Sunday defeated Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to win the Vienna Open title and secure a berth in the ATP Finals for the first time in his career.

It took Anderson, World No. 8, one hour and 55 minutes to get past Nishikori, earning his fifth career title and his second this season after taking the New York Open title in February, reports Efe.

Anderson, the 2018 Wimbledon runner-up, became the sixth player to book a place in the season-ending, eight-player ATP Finals, joining Spain's Rafael Nadal, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Switzerland's Roger Federer, Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro and Germany's Alexander Zverev.

Thanks to his powerful serve, Anderson, who fired 13 aces, managed to save two break points he faced, while he only managed to break his opponent's serve once out of seven opportunities he created.

After the win, Anderson improved his head-to-head record against Nishikori to 4-3, earning his second victory in a row this year against the Japanese player, following his New York semifinal triumph.

--IANS

gau/mr