HONG KONG, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- France's Alexandre Muller came back from one set down to defeat former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori of Japan in the ATP Hong Kong Open final on Sunday.

Muller, ranked 67th in the world, dropped the first set 6-2. However, he turned the match around, winning the next two sets 6-1 and 6-3. The match lasted one hour and 43 minutes at Hong Kong's Victoria Park.

Nishikori, 35, entered the tournament with a wild card. This marked his first final since 2019, following the withdrawal of Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng in their semifinal clash due to illness on Saturday.

In recent years, Nishikori has struggled with injuries, causing him to drop out of the top 100 in the world rankings. ■