Kei Nishikori to skip Cincinnati after slight hip injury

Japan`s Kei Nishikori has pulled out of next week`s ATP 250 tournament in Cincinnati to rest a minor hip injury ahead of the U.S. Open.

The world number four, who reached the final at Flushing Meadows last year, looked out of sorts in collapsing to a one-sided 6-3 6-0 semi-final loss to Briton Andy Murray in Montreal on Saturday.

The 25-year-old hard-court specialist, the first Japanese man to reach a grand slam final, said he did not think the injury would curtail his title bid at the U.S. Open which starts in New York on Aug. 31.

"I`ve never injured that part of the body but I expect to get better in a week," Nishikori said in a statement carried by Kyodo News on Monday.

"I think I`ll be able to play well at the U.S. Open."