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1/22/12 3:45 AM | Ricky Dimon
Kei Nishikori and Mikhail Kukushkin make surprise appearances in the Melbourne fourth round after victories on Saturday. Nishikori ousts Julien Benneteau and Kukushkin upsets Gael Monfils.
(24) Kei Nishikori d. Julien Benneteau 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 6-3
Nishikori erased an enormous third-set deficit and used the comeback to defeat Benneteau in three hours and 25 minutes during third-round action on Saturday. After splitting sets, Benneteau raced to 5-2 lead in the third. The Frenchman failed to serve it out in the eighth game and again in the 10th game, then he also failed to serve it out after breaking at 5-5. Benneteau could not recover from the meltdowns and he dropped the ensuing tiebreaker seven points to four.
From there it was all over for a reeling Benneteau. Nishikori earned an early break in the fourth and never came close to giving it back. The No. 24 seed from Japan lost only five points in his last four service games. For good measure, Nishikori added another break at 5-3 to close out the proceedings in style.
Mikhail Kukushkin d. Gael Monfils 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 1-6, 6-4
A bizarre, back-and-forth match ended up going Kukushkin's way, as the underdog survived to oust Monfils after three hours and 40 minutes on Saturday. Monfils struggled with a back injury early and seemed like would not even be able to make it though two sets. However, the Frenchman stormed back from a 5-1 deficit in the second and that inspired him to go on even though he eventually lost it 7-5.
The injury started to loosen up for Monfils and it paid off in his taking the next two sets. With momentum in hand and moving better and better, the 14th seed seized a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Just when it looked like Kukushkin was done, he suddenly recovered. The Kazakh took a 5-4 advantage and broke to win the match in a final game that was marred by a ball coming onto the court and causing a let during a crucial point.
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Mikhail Kukushkin 
Kei Nishikori 
