Kei Nishikori through to second round in Rio Olympics
Nishikori, quarter-finalist in 2012, breezed past Spanish left-hander Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-2, 6-4
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 6, 2016 (AFP) - Japanese fourth seed Kei Nishikori reached the Olympic tennis second round Saturday but jet-lagged Agnieszka Radwanska crashed out, completing her miserable and exhausting first week in Rio.
Nishikori, a quarter-finalist in 2012, breezed past Spanish left-hander Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-2, 6-4, in just 79 minutes.
Ramos-Vinolas, who made the French Open quarter-finals this year, realised it was not to be his day in the second game of the second set.
Nishikori allowed his racquet to fly from his hand on service but he scrambled to retrieve it before unleashing a winner past the bemused Spaniard.
"Usually I would give up the point when I lose the racquet but not this time," said Nishikori, who arrived in Rio having finished runner-up to world number one Novak Djokovic in Toronto last week.
"I saw that I had a chance to win the point, so I hung in there."
Nishikori next plays Australia s John Millman, who became the first player to clinch a double bagel -- 6-0, 6-0 -- in Games history.
The 27-year-old Millman swept past Ricardas Berankis in just 50 minutes, making it a miserable summer for the Lithuanian.
At Wimbledon, Berankis was knocked out in the first round by Britain s world number 772 Marcus Willis, a club professional.
"I m not really sure that s sunk in," said Millman. "To be put in the record books is ridiculous."
- Aga crashes out -
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Fourth seeded Radwanska slumped to a 6-4, 7-5 loss against China s world number 63 Zheng Saisai as afternoon temperatures rocketed to 32 degrees.
The Polish star only arrived in Rio on Wednesday night after having to fly from Montreal, where she competed last week, to New York to Lisbon and then to Rio.
In all, she was on the move for 55 hours and covered around 14,000 kilometres.
"I spent three days in an airport so that was not the best preparation. I could have used more practice," said former Wimbledon runner-up Radwanska.
Zheng s win was the second top victory of the day for China after national number one Zhang Shuai saved three match points to beat Swiss 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (9/7).
Zheng said she realised that Radwanska had been struggling.
"She didn t play her best tennis. I know she arrived late so I am really lucky," said Zheng.
- Tsonga hangs on -
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Men s fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame a scare from Tunisia s Malek Jaziri to triumph 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Jaziri, on a career high of 58 in the world, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set.
Tsonga, the world number nine, made the quarter-finals of the London Olympics in 2012.
"I was very concerned because I was thinking this may be my last Olympic Games," said Tsonga, a four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist.
Japan s Taro Daniel, ranked at 117, defeated US 14th seed Jack Sock, 6-4, 6-4.
The 23-year-old New York-born, Spain-based Daniel next faces Britain s Kyle Edmund.
Sock said he had been ill in Rio, with a local doctor telling him he was suffering from "walking pneumonia".
Meanwhile, 43-year-old Leander Paes s seventh Olympics ended quickly when he and Indian partner Rohan Bopanna lost 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) to Lukas Kubot and Marcin Matkowski of Poland.
The evergreen Paes was a singles bronze medallist at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
He shrugged off the controversy surrounding his Rio selection after it was claimed Bopanna preferred to play with Saketh Myneni.
"It had no effect on us. We gave it everything we had and fought hard," said Paes.
Later Monday, fifth seeded Venus Williams, the 2000 champion in Sydney, starts against Belgium s Kirsten Flipkens.
At 36, Williams is the oldest player in the women s draw in Rio.
Defending champions Andy Murray and Serena Williams as well as Djokovic and 2008 champion Rafael Nadal all start their campaigns on Sunday.
