Kei Nishikori surged into the Wimbledon third round as the Japanese 10th seed thrashed American qualifier Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday.
Nishikori has never gone past the third round at the All England Club in five attempts, but the world number 12 looks a good bet to end that frustrating run this year.
He was far too strong for Kudla, hitting 40 winners to just 14 from the world number 136, and hasn't dropped a set in his opening two matches.
The 24-year-old will face German 22nd seed Philipp Kohlschreiber or Italy's Simone Bolelli for a place in the last 16.
Nishikori, whose best run at a Grand Slam came in 2012 when he reached the Australian Open quarter-finals, has struggled at Wimbledon in the past, losing in the third round for the last two years.
But his pre-Wimbledon grasscourt practice sessions with coach Michael Chang appear to be paying dividends already.
Following that intense training period with former French Open champion Chang, Nishikori reached the Halle semi-finals on grass.
He was never threatened by Ukraine-born Kudla, a 21-year-old who looked out of his depth against the Japanese star.
Nishikori, who underlined his emerging talent by reaching his first Masters final in Madrid last month, took the first set with two early breaks.
Another pair of breaks in the second set cemented his advantage and he cruised to victory in 88 minutes on Court 18.
Source: AFP
