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Local favourite Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarter-finals of the ATP Japan Open with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory over Sam Querrey. Stan Wawrinka and Joao Sousa are also through.

Script:

Local favourite Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarter-finals of the Japan Open with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory over Sam Querrey.

Second-seeded Nishikori set up match point with a blistering backhand down the line and won with a forehand smash, securing his third straight win in seven matches against the unseeded Querrey.

French Open champion and top seed Stan Wawrinka avenged last year's opening round defeat to Tatsuma Ito, by beating the 116th-ranked Japanese 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to book his place in the quarterfinals.

He will next face either sixth-seeded Marin Cilic or Steve Johnson.

Cilic beat Donald Young in a hard fought, first round match which went to three sets.

The 2014 US Open champion eventually winning 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.

Meanwhile, the unseeded Joao Sousa of Portugal knocked out Spain's Feliciano Lopez with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win.