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Kei Nishikori has made Australian star Alexei Popyrin pay for missed chances at Wimbledon, defeating the rising Sydneysider 6-4 6-4 6-4.

Only the very best are usually able to get the best of Kei Nishikori at Wimbledon - and Australia's rising star Alexei Popyrin was not ready to join them as he was made to pay for missed chances on the grass by the Japanese star.

Nishikori, whose conquerors at Wimbledon include the big three Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, proved too good for the 22-year-old on Wednesday, dismantling his big serve once in each set to carve out a 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory.

The Aussie, who's risen 46 places in the rankings this year, had seven break point opportunities throughout the match but couldn't take any of them.

He reckoned it was a sign of how his confidence has dropped recently following his stellar start to the season when he won his maiden ATP title in Singapore.

"I had him a couple of times in trouble but it's a level of my confidence at the moment, it's not very high right now," sighed Popyrin.

"I haven't had the best few results in the last couple of months. I've only won one match in my last four or five tournaments and, for me, that's disappointing.

"But Kei was top four in the world for a reason. I had my chances in the match but I just didn't capitalise.

He was particularly perplexed because he felt his big game was perfect for the grass.

Yet he was on the back foot against the two-time quarter-finalist from the moment he dropped his opening service game.

The 31-year-old Nishikori repelled three break point opportunities to take that first set and when Popyrin missed his big chance to go 5-3 up in the second by squandering three break point chances, he looked bereft and was immediately broken to love.

The Aussie had his chances in the third set too, failing to convert any of his seven break points he gleaned during the match, but the Japanese broke him to 15 for a 5-4 lead and the end was nigh after just under two hours.

"I've had a couple of tough draws here and there. You play to get through those tough draws and I haven't been able to do that.

"But I'll bounce back from this," he promised.