Nishikori Into U.S. Open Finals After Shocking Upset Over Djokovic
On Saturday afternoon at the 2014 U.S. Open, Japan’s Kei Nishikori made history, becoming the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final after his shocking upset over world number one Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3. Coming into the match ranked 10th in the world, Nishikori, who defeated Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka en route to the finals, jumps to fifth place in the Emirates ATP Race To London in the battle to clinch a spot at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
“It’s an amazing feeling beating the number one player,” said Nishikori.
Nishikori awaits the winner of Saturday afternoon’s match between five-time former U.S. Open champ Roger Federer and the 14th-seeded Marin Cilic.
“Well, what can I say? Other than that second set, my game today was not even close to what I wanted it to be,” said Djokovic. “A lot of unforced errors, a lot of short balls. Just wasn't myself.”
Djokovic had been attempting to reach his fifth straight U.S. Open final and his sixth straight overall. Nishikori’s and Federer each have two wins against each other in four career meetings, while Nishikori holds a 5-2 lifetime advantage over Cilic.
“This is definitely huge for Japan,” said Djokovic of his opponent’s win on Saturday. “It's a big country … over 100 million people. This can definitely be a great encouragement for tennis in that country. He's been around for last couple of years and has been having a lot of success. But playing in finals of a Grand Slam and now fighting for the title is definitely something different. He has gotten to another level, and I'm sure that people will praise him.”
