The 23-year-old Nishioka, ranked 171 in the world, played seven matches across eight days at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Centre but still had plenty of energy in a marathon final as he threw himself at everything Herbert could offer.

As the match clock ticked towards two-and-a-half hours in the southern Chinese city, Nishioka sealed the victory on his fifth match point -– and looked as though he could hardly believe what had just happened.

Twelve months ago, the Japanese player was stuck at home pondering his future after suffering an ACL injury. He will now return to the world’s top 100 after that injury saw his ranking plummet to as low as 362.

The 27-year-old Herbert rattled off 12 aces and helped his opponent’s cause with nine double faults as he poured on the power. But the Nishioka game plan -– waiting out the barrages and keeping his opponent moving -– worked a treat.

Both players came into the final unfancied and unseeded and both had yet to claim a ATP Tour singles title. Herbert had only made one final previously, losing in straight sets to South African Kevin Anderson at the Winston-Salem Open in the US in 2015. Nishioka had never before graced the big stage.

Before the final Nishioka had attributed his run of form -– kick-started by a title at the ATP Challenger Tour stop in Gimcheon, South Korea, four months ago -– down to a change in attitude.

The 1.7-metre (five-foot-seven) Nishioka revealed he had previously been trying to play like “six footers” such as current world number one Rafael Nadal of Spain. But he had turned instead for inspiration to Chile’s former world number one Marcelo Rios, who stands around 1.75 metres (five-foot-nine).

The odds were stacked in favour of Herbert, a three-time Grand Slam doubles title winner with partner and compatriot Nicolas Mahut. But Nishioka finally fulfilled the promise he had shown as one of Japan’s top juniors.

Relying on solid defence and vareiry of play, Thailand took the first two sets 25-21 25-17 before Russia raised the level of their play to win the remaining sets 25-13 25-21 15-9.

Thailand, with a five set win over South Korea on Saturday, have one win and one loss in the tournament. They will next play Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old defeated top seed Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) in a thrilling three-setter in southwest China, where he was a qualifier.

Victory for Tomic — his first ATP World Tour crown since Bogota in 2015 — will propel the world-ranked 123 comfortably inside the top 100.

It was double disappointment for Fognini, who had been attempting to become the first Italian man to win four titles in a season.

For Tomic, it was a welcome change to be making headlines for the right reasons.

Once seen as a rising star, he has had a number of run-ins with authorities over the years.

In January he faced a backlash after boasting “I just count my millions” in response to failing to negotiate qualifying for the Australian Open.

In 2017, as his once-promising career nosedived, Tomic admitted he was sometimes “bored” during matches and not always giving 100 percent.

The Old Trafford hierarchy preened this week after the latest financial results showed the club had earned revenue of more than half a billion pounds for the third year running.

But United, who finished a distant second behind Manchester City last season, are going backwards on the pitch — licking their wounds after their worst start to a league campaign for 29 years.

Mourinho’s men travelled to the London Stadium on Saturday boasting an enviable record against West Ham but came away chastened after a 3-1 defeat killed off any realistic hopes of a Premier League challenge before the end of September.

Languishing nine points behind leaders City, they now face a battle even to qualify for the lucrative Champions League, a prospect that will give the money men sleepless nights.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said the club face some “big decisions” over the manager’s future after the listless display in the capital.

“There are some big decisions to be made at United now,” he said. “There will be conversations at the top level, about the future of the manager and the squad, because the basics are not being done. There has to be something said.”

– Pogba-Mourinho rift –

United’s build-up to the match against West Ham was overshadowed by the growing rift between Mourinho and Paul Pogba, who was stripped of the vice-captaincy before their League Cup exit against Championship side Derby in midweek.

It came after the French World Cup winner implicitly criticised his manager’s tactics, imploring United to attack more and as rumours continued to swirl linking him with a move to Barcelona.

It is difficult to see how both player and manager can work together in the long term after such public displays of disunity.

United are anxious to hang on to one of the world’s most marketable players but all the signs are that they are sticking with Mourinho for now despite their desperately poor start to the season, which has seen them muster just 10 points from seven games.

Pogba gave another under-par performance against West Ham but he was not the only player to disappoint in the late September sunshine.

United are lacking in ideas, short of inspiration and shape, with many of the players looking like square pegs in round holes.

Manchester City and Liverpool have a definable ethos and way of playing but United — for so long the standard bearers of swashbuckling forward play under Alex Ferguson — are painfully lacking in identity in Mourinho’s third season at the club.

They have a clutch of top players including Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez — who was left out of the squad against West Ham.

United have backed Mourinho heavily in the transfer market but their policy has been scattergun, with January signing Sanchez failing to recreate his Arsenal form at Old Trafford.

Mourinho did not look too despondent after Saturday’s result but his attempts to shift the blame for two of United’s goals onto the officials failed to take the spotlight off his under-performing players.

United appeared to have turned the corner after a poor start to the season, winning three away games on the bounce.

But a disappointing draw against promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers last week came before the Derby setback.

United’s hierarchy may appear relatively sanguine despite the poor run but how long can they afford to wait before they reach crunch point?

Defeat on penalties in the League Cup leaves only two competitions left that they can win barring a miracle in the Premier League — the FA Cup and the Champions League — and victory in Europe looks an unlikely prospect.

United are already onto their third manager since Ferguson retired as a Premier League champion in 2013.

The club used to pride itself on its stability during the Ferguson years as other clubs chopped and changed but they have to pull themselves out of their current spiral of decline.

Will they stick or twist?

Sturridge has endured an injury-ravaged three years since Klopp took charge at Anfield and was loaned out to relegated West Brom for the second half of last season.

But despite playing a reserve role to Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, Sturridge has now scored four goals in seven appearances this season.

“The whole dressing room was pretty much dancing. He had such a difficult time but now he has a wonderful time,” said Klopp.

“Coming in and being fresh and making decisions is so important. It was a fantastic goal.

“He had a full pre-season and is in best shape since I know him.”

For the second time in four days Eden Hazard seemed set to haunt Liverpool as, after deciding a League Cup tie between the pair on Wednesday, the Belgian fired Chelsea in front on 25 minutes.

But Sturridge’s late intervention means Liverpool move level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table ahead of a huge clash between the two at Anfield next weekend.

Chelsea are just two points back in third and showed their own title credentials by continuing an unbeaten start under Maurizio Sarri with an impressive defensive display complemented by Hazard’s class at the other end of the field.

Sarri has routinely insisted Chelsea can’t challenge Liverpool or City for the title, but admitted he his side are closer than he thought after two meetings with Liverpool.

“No, I think they are further forward,” said the Italian when asked if Chelsea are title contenders. “But I think also we are more close than I thought one week ago.”

– Salah struggles –

Salah was back for Liverpool after being crowned the third best player in the world for the past year by FIFA on Monday.

But the dead eye for goal the Egyptian showed last season to earn that accolade ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Hazard, was missing before he was replaced by Xherdan Shaqiri 25 minutes from time.

“It was not Mo’s best game of his career for sure,” added Klopp.

“It’s like riding a bike and it’s not that you wake up in the morning and cannot ride a bike anymore. He just has to work.”

Twice Salah wriggled into clear shooting positions on his favoured left foot on the edge of the box inside the first 10 minutes, but his first tame effort was easily saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga before he blazed his second high and wide.

Just as in midweek when Hazard came off the bench to win the game with a stunning individual run and finish, Liverpool were undone by a moment of magic from Chelsea’s number 10.

Hazard was picked out by a fine through ball from Mateo Kovacic. Although he was forced onto his weaker left foot Hazard still managed to drill the ball low past Alisson Becker for his seventh goal of the season.

Salah should have levelled against his old club just after the half hour mark when he outmuscled Marcos Alonso and rounded Kepa, but his goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Antonio Rudiger.

The world’s two most expensive goalkeepers were on show and Kepa and Alisson showed why they cost a combined £140 million ($183 million) with big saves around the hour mark. First Kepa denied Mane an equaliser and then Alisson stopped Hazard scoring his second.

Shaqiri sliced a huge chance wide and David Luiz then hacked Firmino’s header off the line as Liverpool seemed set to be held scoreless for the first time since they last visited Chelsea in May.

However, Sturridge succeeded where Liverpool’s first-choice front three had failed with a spectacular dipping effort from 25 yards against his old club to again prove his worth in Klopp’s bid to end a 29-year wait to win the title.

Fleetwood and Molinari defeated Tiger Woods, who played alongside Patrick Reed and then Bryson DeChambeau, in both the fourballs and foursomes on Saturday to become the first European pairing to claim four points from their opening four matches.

They were the first European couple to go 4-0 in team matches at the Ryder Cup, joining American duo Larry Nelson and Lanny Wadkins who did it at The Greenbrier in 1979.

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson continued their successful partnership with a tough 2 and 1 win over world number one Dustin Johnson and three-time major champion Brooks Koepka.

Europe’s English golfer Tommy Fleetwood (L) and Europe’s Italian golfer Francesco Molinari walk during their foursomes match.

The US grabbed a share of the points in the afternoon foursomes as Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson downed Sergio Garcia 3 and 2, while Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas beat Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter 4 and 3.

However, Jim Furyk’s team will need to produce a monumental comeback, similar to that of Brookline in 1999 where they rallied from 10-6 down entering the last day to win, if they are to retain the trophy.

The 14-time major champion and Patrick Reed suffered a second fourballs loss to Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood, 4 and 3, in the morning before Woods was brushed aside by the same pairing alongside Bryson DeChambeau in the foursomes, 5 and 4.

Woods was the star attraction this week in France after capping an incredible comeback season after injury with his first title since 2013 last weekend.

But even at his imperious best, he was never a strong Ryder Cup player when in a pairing, and he has now won only nine, lost 19 and halved one of his 29 fourballs and foursomes matches in the event.

Woods was unlucky in some respects — being partnered with a totally out-of-sorts Reed, and also being drawn against the red-hot Molinari and Fleetwood duo three times.

“Just pretty pissed off, the fact that I lost three matches, and didn’t feel like I played poorly,” said Woods.

“That’s the frustrating thing about match play. We can play well and nothing can happen. We ran against two guys that were both playing well and when one was out of the hole, especially in best-ball, the other one made birdie and vice versa.

“They did that a lot to us. At one point, they made six out of eight birdies on the back nine, and only one person was in the hole at a time. That’s the nature of match play.”

The United States will need to equal the record Ryder Cup comeback if they are to retain the trophy on Sunday, after their thrilling win in the 1999 “Battle of Brookline” and Europe’s triumph at Medinah six years ago.

But Woods has a far better record in singles play, having only lost one of seven matches, while also lifting the WGC World Matchplay title three times.

The 42-year-old has been trusted as the fourth man out for the US in the singles, where he’ll be facing European rookie Jon Rahm.

“We’ve got some work to do tomorrow,” said Woods. “Hopefully we can get off to a quick start and get up in some of these matches, and turn the tide a little bit.”

– Reed’s nightmare –

Reed badly let down the former world number one in the fourballs on both days.

The reigning Masters champion endured a nightmare round on Saturday, hitting multiple balls into the water, spending much of his time in the rough, and even hitting one tee shot out of bounds and almost into a spectator shopping area.

Woods played down his teammate’s horror show, though, admitting that it was a similar story to 24 hours before, when they lost 3 and 1 to Molinari and Fleetwood.

“We fought back from 2-down to get it to all-square,” he said. “And then we didn’t do anything from there. They made a bunch of birdies, and we didn’t answer.”

Reed will be in the 10th match out on the course on Sunday against Tyrrell Hatton, and US captain Jim Furyk still has hopes that “Captain America” can still find his game at the perfect time.

“I’m sure Patrick is disappointed,” Furyk said. “The guy has got more heart, more will, loves the Ryder Cup as much as anyone I know, and we put him in a position tomorrow where I feel like he’s a very important player.”

The Thunder Castles in fact had already won the local top flight league since they beat Police Tero last week and extended the lead over Bangkok United by nine points. Despite having three games to play after that win, Buriram were guaranteed with the title with better head-to-head record with Bangkok.

The Saturday’s win meant Buriram have earned 78 points, 12 points ahead of Bangkok. Buriram have won the league for the sixth time regardless of what will happen in their last two matches.

Buriram won Bt10 million cheque for their victory. The team also lifted up the trophy in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

The August’s Asian Games silver medallists recovered from sluggish play in the fourth game to win the encounter 18-25 25-22 25-19 13-25 15-11. Pimpichaya Kokram was Thailand’s top scorer by producing 25 points.

Thailand will next play Russia who trounced Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 on Sunday.

The 31-year-old Briton is battling to regain top form and fitness following hip surgery in January and said that he was “very sorry” to miss the China Open.

The tournament — which begins this weekend — has been hit by several high-profile pull-outs with Rafael Nadal not involved because of injury, Roger Federer saving himself for Shanghai and Serena Williams all absent.

World number three Novak Djokovic is also not involved despite being offered a wildcard.

Murray, ranked 311 in the world, previously said that Beijing would be his final event this season and he is carefully managing his schedule following his operation in order to get the most out of his creaking body.

“I am very sorry to have to withdraw from the China Open,” Murray said in a statement on Saturday.

“I was sincerely looking forward to returning to Beijing, where I won the championship just two years ago.

“I injured my ankle in my match in Shenzhen last night and there is no way I can compete effectively next week.”

Murray was beaten 6-4, 6-4 on Friday in Shenzhen by Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco, although he defeated world number 11 David Goffin in the last 16 for the best win since his comeback in June.

Murray, a three-time Grand Slam title winner, will spend the winter working himself back to the sort of fitness levels that saw him capture nine titles in a stellar 2016 campaign, including his second Wimbledon crown and another Olympic gold.

“It was another three matches, which is positive,” said Murray after defeat to Verdasco.

“But obviously I want to play better than that, I have higher ambitions than losing in the quarter-finals. I want to try to be better in these events.

“I need to spend more time on the practice court and the gym so that I’m more robust and physically in better shape.”

Juan Martin del Potro, the top seed in Beijing, will play Albert Ramos in his opener.