CHRISTIE off to a great start against NISHIMOTO

Jonatan CHRISTIE (Indonesia, n°6) has won the first clash of the men’s simple draw this afternoon in Rennes. He defeated Kenta NISHIMOTO (Japan, n°13) 21/11 21/19 after an epic conclusion

Facing off for the 17th time in their careers, both players were trying to take the edge after they shared 8 victories each. CHRISTIE had a huge start and quickly went ahead, leading 9/1 after a few minutes. This comfortable advantage enabled him to go through the first set without breaking too much sweat, 21/11.

Once again in the second set, CHRISTIE took the reins with and 8/3 lead, forcing NISHIMOTO to raise his level in order not to go home earlier than anticipated. The Japanese did it quite well and started to include more variations in his game so the world number 6 couldn’t find a great position to end the point early. Quick on his feet, he came back in the set and even took the lead at 12/11, gradually lashing out as the game was getting more intense. 2 points away from the second set at 19/16, Nishimoto couldn’t go all the way and conceded the match after losing 5 points straight.

CHRISTIE has reacted about his victory and his mindset for the tournament: “When I was down 16/19, I decided to play more aggressively and to get into position to attack first, and I think it worked. […] I wasn’t feeling confident before the game because I lost in the first round of my last three tournaments. I just wanted to keep pushing myself whatever the results. I just want to play a lot of games and enjoy them.”

For the second round, Jonatan Christie will face either Chun-Yi LIN (Chinese Taipei, n°24) or Lan Xi LEI (China, n°54).