Nishikori beats lucky loser Young in 3 sets

TOKYO — Top-seeded Kei Nishikori came from a set down to beat American lucky loser Donald Young 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 Monday in the first round of the Japan Open. Nishikori had been drawn to face Nicolas Almagro, but the Spanish player withdrew because of illness. Young, who had lost in qualifying to Ryan Harrison, was given Almagro's spot in the draw just a few hours before walking on court at Ariake Colosseum. Young took the first set against the fifth-ranked Nishikori but couldn't capitalize. The fifth-ranked Nishikori twice broke on double faults by Young in the closing stages and extended his career record over the American to 4-0. "I was missing too much in the beginning, I should have hit with more top spin," Nishikori said. "He was playing aggressive, coming in a lot, and I was hitting too short. In the second set, he started to slow down a bit and I started playing more deep, more aggressive, and started using my forehand more." Next up for Nishikori is Portugal's Joao Sousa, who rallied to beat Slovakia's Martin Klizan 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Fourth-seeded Marin Cilic advanced with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 win over last year's runner-up, Benoit Paire of France. Cilic will face Fernando Verdasco in the second round. The Spaniard beat Japanese qualifier Go Soeda 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-3. Venus crashes out In Beijing, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams crashed out of the first round of the China Open to Chinese wildcard Peng Shuai Monday. World No. 1 Angelique Kerber, meanwhile, continued her stellar season by beating qualifier Katerina Siniakova in two sets in her opening match in Beijing. After a close first set, the former US Open semifinalist Peng allowed the American veteran just one game point in the second to win 7-5, 6-1. Czech Siniakova, 20, played an impressive net game against top seed Kerber but was unable to take control of the match, handing the German a 6-4, 6-4 win. Meanwhile, defending champion Garbine Muguruza booked her spot in the final 16, downing 21-year-old Yulia Putintseva in her second-round match. On the men's side, David Ferrer and fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut both prevailed in their tougher-than-expected first-round matches. Lucas Pouille ousted wildcard Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan in two sets — and less than 50 minutes — to take him a step closer to a rematch with Rafael Nadal. The pair could meet in the quarterfinals, potentially allowing Nadal to exact revenge over the Frenchman, who beat the two-time US Open champion in a fifth set tie-break at Flushing Meadows.