Nishikori takes advantage of Shang's withdrawal to join Muller in Hong Kong final

Kei Nishikori continues to impress at the start of the season.

The 35-year-old Japanese was invited by the organizers of the ATP tournament in Hong Kong, and he lived up to his wild card billing.

After dominating Denis Shapovalov, Karen Khachanov and Cameron Norrie, the 2014 US Open finalist took advantage of Shang Juncheng's withdrawal to reach the final.

Feverish, the Chinese threw in the towel when trailing 4 games to 3 in the first set.

As a result, Nishikori will be playing in his first final on the ATP circuit since the Brisbane tournament in 2019, where he beat Daniil Medvedev to win the title.

Kei Nishikori, former world number 4 and now back in the top 100, will be playing for his 13th career trophy.

To do so, he will challenge France's Alexandre Muller, who defeated Jaume Munar in three sets earlier in the day.