TOKYO: Top seed Kei Nishikori withdrew from the Japan Open Wednesday due to a buttock muscle injury, disappointing home fans hoping he could recapture the trophy.
The world number five became the latest star to pull out of the injury-plagued tournament, after US Open winner and defending champion Stan Wawrinka withdrew due to a back injury.
Nishikori retired during the first set of his second-round match against Joco Sousa of Portugal, ranked 34th in the world.
Going into the match, Nishikori looked to be in solid shape, comfortably building a 3-0 lead as he made his rival run back and forth across the hard court at Ariake Colosseum.
But the 26-year-old requested a medical timeout, asking his trainer to massage the left side of his lower back.
Resuming the match, Nishikori was clearly a different man, grimacing at times, although he managed to hold his service game to make it 4-0 before his legs gave up.
Sousa quickly made it 4-3, and Nishikori was forced to withdraw 41 minutes into the match.
