Kei Nishikori of Japan celebrates after winning a first-round match against Alexei Popyrin of Australia at Wimbledon on June 30, 2021, in London, England. (Getty/Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Kei Nishikori won his 100th career Grand Slam match on Wednesday, easing into the second round at Wimbledon with a straight-sets victory over Australia's Alexei Popyrin.

       Nishikori, ranked 53rd in the world, needed just under two hours to defeat the No. 67 Australian. Popyrin blasted 10 aces but failed to win a single break point in the 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 match.

       "I was able to keep him under pressure even with my stroke play and grab the initiative. It went amazingly well," said Nishikori, who was playing the 1.92-meter 21-year-old for the first time.

       Although he occasionally lost traction on the grass, Nishikori handled the low bounces off the fast surface and appeared to have little trouble with his forehand despite some anxiety about an old right wrist injury in a pre-tournament match.

       "I felt almost no pain," he said.

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