France's Alexandre Muller won his first ATP Tour title by beating Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
Muller won to end the Japanese player's bid for his first ATP Tour title since 2019.
Nishikori, 35, who reached the U.S. Open final in 2014, raced through the first set at Victoria Park in just 33 minutes but ran out of steam to lose in 1 hour, 43 minutes.
It was the injury-plagued Nishikori's 27th tour-level final and his first since wining in Brisbane in 2019.
The former No. 4 emerged from years of injuries, including major hip surgery, to roll back the years in a fairy-tale run to the Hong Kong final.
Nishikori, a wildcard at the tournament, beat third-seeded Karen Khachanov, Cameron Norrie and Denis Shapovalov on the way to the semifinals.
He will return to the Top 100 for the first time since June 2022 when the new rankings are released.
"I want to thank Kei, because he is an amazing player," the 27-year-old Muller said.
"I'm so happy for him that he can play without injuries, so good luck for the rest of the season."
Comeback king Muller became just the third man to win a tour-level title after losing the opening set in every match he played during the tournament.
"Thank you everyone for the support tonight," the Frenchman said.
"It's been an amazing week for me, losing the first set in all the matches," he added.
"I have no words, I'm sorry, I just won the match, but thank you everyone."
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