Nishikori fends off resilient Becker to advance

By Simon Cambers

NEW YORK ( Reuters) - Kei Nishikori held off a fightback from Benjamin Becker and earned a 6-1 6-1 3-6 6-3 victory over the German veteran on Tuesday for a convincing start to his U.S. Open title bid.

The Japanese sixth seed stormed through the first two sets but the 35-year-old Becker took control in the third before Nishikori righted the ship in time to secure a spot in the second round.

"He started playing much better so it was tough third and fourth sets but luckily I got out of the last two games," said Nishikori. "It was a pretty good match."

Nishikori, the U.S. Open runner-up in 2014, will next play qualifier Karen Khachanov, a 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3 winner over Italy's Thomas Fabbiano.

(Editing by Frank Pingue)