"My body said no, but my mind told me to keep playing" - Nishikori on marathon second round win

Former World No.4 Kei Nishikori is proving to be the marathon man at this year's Roland Garros, as he survived another epic five-setter to defeat Karen Khachanov and advance to the third round.

After outlasting Italian Alessandro Giannessi in a five-set clash in the previous round, Nishikori was forced into a repeat performance against the 23rd-seeded Khachanov. The Japanese star pulled off the stunning win, rallying back to record a 4-6 6-2 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory.

"After the third set lost, I keep telling myself I wanted to keep playing. There was no answer for me, but I just kept playing," Nishikori said. "My body said no, but my mind was just telling me to keep playing. I was able to win the fourth set without thinking anything. Of course, in the fifth set you want to fight until the end."

The 31-year old has now won 10 of his past 11 five-set matches and has the best record among current players, standing stop the list with a 26-7 match record.

"Everybody is telling me I have good records, so sometimes I have to think that I have to keep building my record after going five sets," Nishikori said. "That's giving me pleasure a little bit, too. I think in fifth sets I'm really playing good tennis, more than any set. Even though I'm tired, I think I'm playing better and more free, more aggressive, not being passive. I think I do many good things, especially in the last set."

The three-time French Open quarterfinalist will face Henri Laaksonen in the third round, as the Swiss upset 11th-seed Roberto Bautista Agut earlier in the day.