Denis Kudla stopped Kei Nishikori’s six-match winning streak on the ATP Challenger Tour Thursday, when the American survived the former World No. 4 at the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

The World No. 180 Kudla defeated Nishikori 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at the Challenger 75 event, which was the Japanese star’s second tournament in 20 months. Nishikori began his comeback in June at the Caribbean Open in Puerto Rico, where he went on a dream title run with the loss of just one set.

Despite making 45 per cent of his first serves, Kudla turned the two-hour, 21-minute contest into a physical battle and played with depth from the baseline to hurt Nishikori, who let slip a break advantage at 2-1 in the decider. The 30-year-old Kudla will next meet Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin in the last eight.

Nishikori will be in ATP Challenger Tour action again next week in Chicago, Illinois. The 12-time tour-level titlist will then play the ATP Tour events in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The 33-year-old, who underwent arthroscopic left hip surgery last year, is No. 478 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

A Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry that has produced a host of classic encounters comes to Wimbledon for the first time on Friday, when Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka clash at the grass-court major.

The former World No. 3 Wawrinka is trying to complete a full set of Grand Slam victories against 23-time major champion Djokovic, having already defeated the Serbian at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open. Roger Federer is the only player to have completed that feat against the seven-time year-end World No. 1.

“I think it’s an honour to play Novak here,” said Wawrinka after his second-round triumph against Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Thursday in London. “I was missing that in my career, to play him in Wimbledon. That’s the last [major where] I never played him, and it’s going to be a difficult challenge.”

Ahead of the 27th tour-level meeting between seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic and three-time major winner Wawrinka, ATPTour.com looks back on six of the duo’s most epic Grand Slam battles.

2013 Australian Open R16, Djokovic d Wawrinka 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(5), 12-10
Wawrinka’s 2013 Australian Open campaign ended in fourth-round defeat, but it was arguably the moment the Swiss announced himself on the Grand Slam stage. Playing to reach his maiden major quarter-final, he led the defending champion 6-1, 5-2 before Djokovic prevailed in a nailbiting deciding set for a five-hour, two-minute triumph on Rod Laver Arena.

After holding off Wawrinka, Djokovic went on to lift his fourth Australian Open title to kick-start a 2013 season in which he also lifted three ATP Masters 1000 crowns and triumphed at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

2013 US Open SF, Djokovic d Wawrinka 2-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
The rest of 2013 also proved fruitful for Wawrinka, who broke the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time in May with a final run in Madrid. The Swiss then charged to his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open, where he and Djokovic played out their second major classic of the year on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

As in Melbourne, Wawrinka led Djokovic by a set and a break in New York, but Djokovic stayed cool once again to overhaul the Swiss and claim a four-hour, nine-minute victory that earned him a place in his fourth consecutive US Open final (l. to Nadal).

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_{^{Djokovic’s 2013 US Open semi-final win was his 12th in a 14-match winning streak against Wawrinka. Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty.}}

2014 Australian Open QF, Wawrinka d Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7
Wawrinka entered the 2014 Australian Open quarter-finals with an 0-3 record against Djokovic at the majors, but past disappointments did nothing to deter the Swiss. He avenged his pair of fifth-set heartaches from the previous year by prevailing in yet another epic battle with his great rival. It was Wawrinka’s jaw-dropping power that eventually overwhelmed Djokovic’s renowned defence in a way few others on Tour could manage.

With his four-hour victory, Wawrinka ended a 25-match winning streak at Melbourne Park for Djokovic, who was chasing his fourth consecutive title at the hard-court major. The Swiss backed up that win in style, defeating Tomas Berdych and then Rafael Nadal on Rod Laver Arena to claim his maiden Grand Slam title at the age of 28.

2015 Australian Open SF, Djokovic d Wawrinka 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
Djokovic reasserted his Grand Slam dominance over Wawrinka a year later in Melbourne, where the Serbian roused a scintillating finish to claim another five-setter en route to his fifth Australian Open crown.

Djokovic’s triumph in Melbourne, where he defeated Andy Murray in the final, began a year of unprecedented success for the Serbian. He lifted a personal-best 11 tour-level titles in 2015, including two further major wins at Wimbledon and the US Open, six ATP Masters 1000 crowns and victory at the Nitto ATP Finals.

2015 Roland Garros F, Wawrinka d Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
In that year of almost non-stop success for Djokovic, it was Wawrinka who ultimately prevented the Serbian from completing the Grand Slam — winning all four majors in the same season — in stunning fashion at Roland Garros. Djokovic became just the second player to defeat Rafael Nadal at the clay-court major in the quarter-finals but was unable to resist a barrage of clean baseline hitting from Wawrinka, who delivered a stunning championship-match display.

“It was a part of my career [in which] I was playing such a good level that I knew, when I was entering the court against Novak in a Grand Slam, I was able to beat him,” reflected Wawrinka on Tuesday at Wimbledon. “I have a powerful game from the baseline — forehand, backhand — and I was physically ready to compete with him. I had some amazing matches, probably the two best matches of my career at Roland Garros [in 2015] and the US Open [in 2016].”

Stan Wawrinka” />

^{_{An inspired Stan Wawrinka defeats Novak Djokovic in the 2015 final at Roland Garros. Photo: Julian Finney/Getty.}}

2016 US Open F, Wawrinka d Djokovic 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
Wawrinka rallied in tough conditions to stay perfect in Grand Slam finals and become a three-time major winner as he physically outlasted Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium in at the 2016 US Open. The then-31-year-old Wawrinka’s three-hour, 55-minute triumph against the defending champion made him just the fifth man in the Open Era to win multiple singles crowns after turning 30.

“I think [they were] two different kinds of match,” recalled Wawrinka of his Roland Garros and US Open final triumphs. “I think tennis-wise, probably [Roland Garros was better]. I think that’s where I was playing the best. I think mentally or physically, more the US Open. We had a tough last four, five days of the tournament. It was really humid, really physical for both of us. We played some really tough battles to get into the final. So, [it was a] different feeling.”

Andrey Rublev dug deep to bring up a major milestone Thursday at Wimbledon, where the seventh seed defeated Aslan Karatsev 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 for his 50th Grand Slam match win.

Rublev reacted well after dropping the first set to seal a two-hour, 52-minute second-round victory against the World No. 50 Karatsev on Court 2. The 25-year-old claimed the only break of serve in each of the second and third sets before overcoming a late wobble on serve to level the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.

5O Grand Slam wins ✅@AndreyRublev97 from a set down defeats Karatsev 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon | Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/D1CMK9wnaY

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 6, 2023

Rublev was broken by Karatsev when serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, but made no mistake the second time around at 6-5 to advance to the third round at Wimbledon for the second time. His opponent as he bids to equal his personal-best showing at the grass-court major, a fourth-round run from 2021, will be wild card David Goffin or qualifier Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera.

Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini also enjoyed the taste of victory at SW19 on Thursday. The pair both advanced to the second round after finally completing their long delayed openers at the All England Club.

The 19th seeded Zverev impressed on his first appearance at The Championships this year. He downed Dutchman Gijs Brouwer 6-4, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to reach the second round for the sixth time in seventh Wimbledon appearances. The 26-year-old German, who reached the fourth round in 2017 and 2021, will next play Yosuke Watanuki, who beat Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-7(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(3), 6-3.

Berrettini and his countryman Lorenzo Sonego returned to court for the third consecutive day. To complete their first-round clash. Berrettini had led by two sets to one overnight and the 2021 finalist completed a 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(7), 6-3 triumph on Court 12 in a match that began on Tuesday afternoon.

With his win, Berrettini avenged his loss to his good friend Sonego on the grass in Stuttgart last month. The 27-year-old Italian will play Alex de Minaur in the second round, after the Australian completed a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(2) triumph against qualifier Kimmer Coppejans.

Possessing a swinging lefty serve, a destructive forehand and good touch, it is no surprise #NextGenATP Swiss Dominic Stricker has excelled on the London grass this season. The 20-year-old battled through three rounds of qualifying at Roehampton before he clawed past Alexei Popyrin in five-sets to earn his maiden major win at Wimbledon.

Making his debut at The Championships, Stricker is soaking up the feel-good factor that swirls around SW19 at this time of year.

“It’s amazing to be here,” Stricker told ATPTour.com. “I was playing qualifying in Roehampton and then coming here on the site that I have always seen on TV is amazing. I have seen so many good matches here. It is just an honour to play here on these courts. I’m just super happy to be here and to have one more match.

“I think my game suits grass very well. I played good all of the years that I played on grass. And then now this year with qualifying and then also winning one match, that is already great. But there is more to come.”

Stricker will need to find more if he is to continue his Wimbledon run, with 10th seed Frances Tiafoe his next opponent on Thursday.

The American, who advanced to the fourth round at SW19 last year, recently captured his first grass-court title in Stuttgart, cracking the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as a result. With Tiafoe demonstrating great court-craft, Stricker knows he will be in for a test.

“It is going to be a great challenge, but I’m going try to do the best I can,” Stricker said ahead of his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against Tiafoe. “He’s an amazing player. I think he’s now in the Top 10 for the first time in his career. It is just amazing to play one of these guys and I’ll try to do my things and hope I will get a few chances and then we will see how the match will go.”

Stricker has not been the only Swiss star on site this week. The record eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer attended play on Tuesday, sitting in the Royal Box alongside wife Mirka and Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

Stricker spent time training with Federer in Dubai in the past, with the former World No. 1 sharing words of advice. The 20-year-old was delighted to see Federer watching the action.

“I’ve seen a lot of matches of Roger here, all of his big finals he played here and all these matches. I remember his win in 2017 [against Marin Cilic]. It’s great that he’s here,” Stricker said. “They did an amazing event for him on Centre Court and it’s just great to see.”

Stricker is currently No. 102 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and is the only Swiss player to win five ATP Challenger Tour titles before his 21st birthday. The lefty sits seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race and is aiming to qualify for the 21-and-under event for the second time after advancing to the semi-finals last year. Stricker feels the experience he gained at the Next Gen ATP Finals has helped him at Wimbledon.

“I think Next Gen was a great event,” Stricker said. “They did such a good event, with so many people coming to support us. I think it was just a great week also to get used to the attention a bit. I would say it helped me a lot for the match against Popyrin. There were a lot of people watching the match and it was great to know before that I would know how to handle it.”

If Stricker can earn his first Top 10 win against Tiafoe on Thursday, he will further boost his chances of returning to the Next Gen ATP Finals this season, which is his goal.

“When I’m doing the right things collecting as many points as possible, that helps, and it’ll be the goal at the end of the year to play Next Gen again because it’s such a great event and I really enjoyed it last year,” Stricker concluded.

Despite a 20-month absence from competition, Kei Nishikori has not missed a beat in his first six matches on the ATP Challenger Tour. Part of the reason why is that the Japanese star stayed connected to the sport.

“I was watching a lot of tennis actually. I thought that was a good idea to be mentally ready to play again,” Nishikori told ATPTour.com. “Also just to remind me how the top players are playing. And I can imagine playing tennis in the head.

“Twenty months was not a short time. I was just trying to be mentally fresh, not stressing too much every day.”

The 33-year-old, who this week is competing in the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, first returned to action last month at the Palmas del Mar Challenger in Puerto Rico, where he dropped just one set en route to the title.

Nishikori quickly found a high level to be crowned champion in Palmas del Mar, where he was playing his first tournament since the 2021 BNP Paribas Open. Throughout the Challenger 75 event, the former World No. 4 produced vintage down-the-line winners and showed deft feel from all corners of the court. By the end of the week, Nishikori had his hands around the trophy.

“That was surprising a lot. I was just expecting to just play one match and just kind of get a rhythm for it,” Nishikori said. “Somehow I played good in the first match and started getting more confident every match. In the final, I think I played pretty good tennis.

“Usually I struggle. I’ve come back many times from injury and it usually takes half a year to be 100 per cent. You lose the confidence, you lose the feeling of the ball, the way to move, you kind of lose everything.

“But luckily, I had a lot of time to practice. This time, I feel already that I’m like 70, 80 per cent. So I’m quite happy about the way I’m playing right now.”

What motivated Nishikori to make a comeback despite various injuries? The Japanese star’s eagerness to get back to the top of his game and have an opportunity to play some of the new faces in the sport.

“I had hip surgery, I sprained my ankle during these 20 months, and my shoulder was bad. So I had a couple of different injuries,” Nishikori said. “That was also why it was tough to maintain the motivation, but I just wanted to play tennis again and compete again. And especially watching Djokovic, Rafa still playing, fighting. And I haven’t played against [Carlos] Alcaraz, [Holger] Rune. That’s something I also can’t wait to play against them.”

After Bloomfield Hills, Nishikori will again compete on the ATP Challenger Tour next week in Chicago, Illinois. Later this month, he will return to ATP Tour action in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

“I just need to play more matches,” Nishikori said. “I think I just need to play with those Top-50 players again. I just need to get used to playing with those guys and get confidence again. Overall I’m really happy with how I’m playing. I just need to focus and recover well.”

Nishikori will look to continue his comeback in winning fashion Thursday, when he faces third seed Denis Kudla at the Bloomfield Hills Challenger. Fans can live stream all ATP Challenger Tour matches for free and on demand on Challenger TV.

When Thursday’s Wimbledon order of play was released, one notable name was missing: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. That is because of the rain that has wreaked havoc at SW19 early in the fortnight.

Alcaraz won his first-round match Tuesday against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy and will play another Frenchman, Alexandre Muller in the second round. If there had not been rain, the 20-year-old would have been scheduled for Thursday after one day off.

However, the rain has delayed other players in his section. None of Alcaraz’s potential third-round opponents have completed their first-round match yet. 

Nicolas Jarry, the 25th seed, trails Marco Cecchinato 4-6, 4-1. Jason Kubler leads Ugo Humbert 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Both matches are scheduled second on Thursday.

It is not the only section rain has delayed. There are three first-round matches that have not begun yet: Alexander Zverev against Gijs Brouwer, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina against Arthur Fils and Botic van de Zandschulp against Zhang Zhizhen.