PARIS — Kei Nishikori reached a landmark by qualifying for the French Open quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over unseeded Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili on Sunday but may just be getting started.
The fifth seed's success made it the first time a Japanese male player had reached the last eight at Roland Garros since Jiro Satoh made it to the semi-finals in 1931 and 1933.
"I think to come to the quarter-finals that's the first goal for these two weeks. I knew I could do this because I was doing well this claycourt season," Nishikori told a news conference.