London: Kei Nishikori started his maiden campaign at the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over home favorite Andy Murray on Sunday.
The fourth-seeded Japanese - the first Asian player to qualify for the year-end championship - was in complete control and secured important points in a tough Group B that also includes Roger Federer and Milos Raonic.
After the round-robin stage, the top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals of the indoor tournament at the O2.
Murray only sealed his spot at the season finale last week in Paris following an impressive run that saw him win 20 of his previous 23 matches. But he appeared tired and never looked capable of turning the match around despite support from the crowd.
"Maybe the beginning was a little bit tight, but I started feeling well and the second set was almost perfect," said Nishikori after posting his first win over Murray. "I knew he is very consistent from the baseline so I knew I had to be more aggressive than usual and that's how I won today. It's my goal to go semifinal and final."
Murray, who had expressed worries that he could be rejected by local fans after coming out in favor of Scottish independence in September, received a warm welcome as he entered the court.
The Scot secured the first break in the fifth game after taking advantage of his opponent's unforced errors but could not hold his next serve after hitting two double faults.
Nishikori did not serve well, hitting eight double-faults and averaging a low first-serve percentage of 46. But Murray also struggled on his service games, winning only seven points on his second serve.
Nishikori progressively took control of the match, pushing Murray into long rallies before overwhelming him with powerful groundstrokes. Pegged back well behind his baseline, Murray saved one set point with a crosscourt forehand that Nishikori could not return but fluffed a backhand drop shot on the next one.
The Japanese player continued at the same pace in the second set and broke for a 2-0 lead after leaving Murray stranded on the baseline with a fine drop shot. The former Wimbledon champion fought hard to save three break points in the fourth game to stay in the match and a series of errors from Nishikori in the seventh game helped Murray to break back before receiving a massage on his left calf at the changeover.
Murray leveled at 4-4 but could not build on the momentum as Nishikori converted his first match point in the 10th game when Murray dropped his serve for the fourth time following three consecutive backhand errors.
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