Andy Murray (Photo : Getty Images)
Andy Murray will attempt to continue his title defense bid when the world No. 2 meets Japan's Kei Nishikori in the semifinal round of the men's singles tennis competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Murray is just two wins away from retaining his title in the men's singles tennis category at the Olympic Games, but faces a tough opponent in Nishikori, who has been equally impressive at the quadrennial sporting event. Murray suffered a scare in his quarterfinal round victory over American Steve Johnson, but still managed to rally in the third set for a 6-0 4-6 7-6(2) win.
"It was tough. I got off to a great start, then Steve started to play much better," Murray said, reports the BBC.
"We didn't get to practise before the match as much because of the rain so he may have started a bit slow because of that, but when he started to find his rhythm, it was a very tough match."
Murray also faces another potential difficult match against Nishikori, who also needed three sets to fend off France's Gael Monfils in the quarterfinal stage.
Nishikori had to dig deep to earn a 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(6) win after seeing himself down three match points in the final set. The world No. 7 knows he has to be at his top form to beat Murray, but also admitted playing his best tennis may give him a chance against the three-time Grand Slam winner.
"For the medal I think I have to play well against Andy," Nishikori said, reports The Japanese Times. "He's someone I haven't beaten for a long time, so I have to play much better tennis for sure to beat him."
Murray leads Nishikori by 6-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchups, winning their last three meetings. Their most recent match was at Great Britain's first round Davis Cup tie against Japan, where Murray and Nishikori engaged in a thrilling five-setter match won by the Scot.
The winner between Murray and Nishikori will have a chance to face either Rafael Nadal or Juan Martin del Potro in the final round.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch 2016 Rio Olympics tennis men's singles: Andy Murray vs Kei Nishikori live via NBC. Live score updates will be available during game days at ATP World Tour's official website.
