Kei Nishikori dispatched unseeded Croatian Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-4 in their first-round match at the Rakuten Japan Open on Wednesday afternoon.
With the roof closed at Ariake Colosseum due to inclement weather, Nishikori put on the type of clinical performance that has become expected of him following his success this season.
In his first singles match in Japan since losing in the final of the U.S. Open last month to Croatia's Marin Cilic, Nishikori made the home crowd happy with a comprehensive victory over one of Cilic's compatriots that took just 1 hour and 24 minutes.