Japan’s top-ranked tennis player Nishikori entertains the masses at Ala Moana

The crowd craning for a glimpse into Ala Moana Center’s new UNIQLO store on Wednesday spoke to Kei Nishikori’s brand-name status among his fans.

Nishikori, Japan’s top-ranked tennis player at No. 9 in the world, had dozens of camera phones trained on him as he answered questions and traded light volleys from junior players in his first public appearance in advance of this weekend’s Hawaii Open.

A “global brand ambassador” for the chain, Nishikori had visited Hawaii twice for weddings, including his sister’s, and played in a challenger in the islands as a teenager, when a spot among the top 10 remained part of his a long-term vision.

The 28-year-old returns to the islands this week well established among the world’s elite, as evidenced by the crowd spilling out of the store Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s good to see many fans (up) close like that,” Nishikori said in a quieter setting after the appearance. “I’m sure they’re going to come to watch the matches this weekend and I hope I can play good tennis.”

Nishikori, a 2014 U.S. Open finalist, will be among the headliners in the revamped Hawaii Open, which opens Friday at Blaisdell Arena.

A WTA 125K series event held at Central Oahu Regional Park the last two years, the tournament reinvented its format, moved indoors and injected considerable luster into its draws.

On the men’s side, Nishikori and No. 18 Milos Raonic, a Wimbledon finalist in 2016, have byes into Saturday’s semifinal round. Nishikori will face the winner of Friday’s match between Christian Harrison and wild-card Andre Ilagan, a Farrington graduate and University of Hawaii freshman. Raonic will face the winner of the match between Mackenzie McDonald and Ryan Harrison in Friday’s 11 a.m. opener.

Two-time grand slam champion and 18th-ranked Garbine Muguruza and No. 12 Elise Mertens have byes into the women’s semifinals on Saturday. Friday’s matches feature Christina McHale facing 2016 Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig and CoCo Vandeweghe taking on Eugenie Bouchard.

The finals are Sunday with the women’s championship at 11 a.m. and the men’s final to follow.

“It’s very important,” Nishikori said playing exhibition matches as part of the run-up to the Australian Open in January. “The first tournament of the year is coming up, it’s also good weather here and it’s important to have good preparation these couple of weeks.

“You might get a little nervous and I think that’s good preparation for the first tournament of the year.”

Around this time a year ago, Nishikori — who has reached as high as No. 4 in the world — was still recovering from a wrist injury that forced an early end to his 2017 season.

During his comeback, he dipped to No. 39 in the world rankings in April. Once healthy, he made a steady climb back into the top 10, reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and semifinals of the U.S. Open along the way before falling to Novak Djokovic both times.

His surge earned him a spot among the eight players in the season-ending ATP Finals in London in November. He went 1-2 with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over Roger Federer.

“My goal was to finish top 10 and I made a goal to finish playing in London in the tour finals,” said Nishikori, who owns 11 career titles. “There were many up and downs, of course, after coming back from injury. I took six months off, so things weren’t going well many times, especially the first couple months.

“Little by little I got my confidence and my tennis was coming back very slowly. I think every match gave me a little bit of confidence and I think at the U.S. Open I was playing 100 percent.”

He took two weeks off to recuperate after his extended season before beginning preparations the 2019 season and a return to the Australian Open, a year after sitting out the season’s first grand slam event.

“It’s good to start like this,” he said. “I never had exhibition matches before (the Brisbane International). I think it’s going to be good and hopefully I can play good tennis.”