Kei Nishikori seized the momentum after a long rain delay and won his second straight four-set match at the U.S. Open.
The sixth-seeded Nishikori beat 20-year-old qualifier Karen Khachanov 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the third round. When rain halted action, the players had split the first two sets and were knotted at 4-4 in the third.
Returning to the court after more than 2+ hours, Nishikori promptly won the next two games to clinch the set. The 2014 U.S. Open runner-up was down a break in the fourth but won the last five games to close out the victory. He had seven double-faults.
Khachanov, who was making his Grand Slam debut, beat another qualifier in the first round. He broke into the top 100 this summer and is currently ranked 95th. This was his first career meeting with a top-10 player.
