Yoshihito Nishioka appeared to be in excruciating pain as he collapsed to the ground during his first-round clash against Miomir Kecmanovic at the 2024 US Open. The Japanese was eventually forced to retire from what had been a thrilling contest.
Nishioka and Kecmanovic locked horns in a closely contested battle in the first round of the New York Major. After the Serb clinched the opening set in a tiebreak, Nishioka bounced back strongly to take control of the match by winning the second and third sets. However, Kecmanovic refused to go down without a fight, edging past the Japanese in the fourth set to force a decider.
The match seemed poised to continue in a similarly scintillating fashion when tragedy struck for Yoshihito Nishioka, as he collapsed to the ground in agony while reportedly clutching his left thigh and his arm.
The Japanese appeared unable to move as he received medical treatment while still lying on the ground. In a heartwarming gesture, Miomir Kecmanovic brought Nishioka a bottle of water and stayed by his side as he was worked on by the doctors.
Despite receiving the doctors’ care, Nishioka remained curled up in pain on the court, raising alarm in the tennis community.
Yoshihito Nishioka was ultimately forced to retire from the match with injury, with Kecmanovic leading 7-6(2), 2-6, 5-7, 7-5, 1-0.
Miomir Kecmanovic to take on Lorenzo Musetti in US Open 2R after Yoshihito Nishioka’s retirement from 1R clash
Following Yoshihito Nishioka’s retirement from their first-round clash at the 2024 US Open, Miomir Kecmanovic will continue his campaign against 18th seed Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian defeated Reilly Opelka 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-1, 7-5 to book his place in the second round.
Musetti enjoys a 2-1 lead in his head-to-head record against Kecmanovic. However, it was the Serb who emerged victorious in their most recent encounter, claiming a 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-1 victory at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals.
If Miomir Kecmanovic upsets the World No. 18, he will face Brandon Nakashima or Arthur Cazaux in the third round. The Serb is likely to meet fourth seed Alexander Zverev if he reaches the fourth round, with the likes of Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz looming as his possible quarterfinal opponents.
Kecmanovic has already achieved a better result than his campaign at last year’s New York Major, where he suffered a first-round loss to Juan Pablo Varillas. The 24-year-old will look to secure his best-ever finish at the US Open this year, having never advanced past the second round at Flushing Meadows.
