NEW YORK // Kei Nishikori stunned Novak Djokovic on Saturday to become the first Japanese player to reach a grand slam singles final.
World No 1 Djokovic was bidding to reach his fifth consecutive US Open final, but Nishikori played superbly to win 6-4, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3 and set up a clash with either Roger Federer or Marin Cilic.
The world No 11, who also became the first Asian man to make a grand slam singles final, said: “I don’t know what’s going on.
“I was a little bit tight, especially with my first semi-final in a grand slam. It’s just an amazing feeling, beating the No 1 player and playing much better than the last couple of matches.
“I’m so happy. It was tough conditions, but I guess I love to play long matches and I hope I can recover well for the final. I hope it’s big news in Japan. I feel the support from Japan, even from the TV. It’s 4am in Japan, but I hope a lot of people are watching.”
It has been a productive year for Nishikori, 24, since he was beaten in the first round by Britain’s Dan Evans at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago.
He broke into the top 10 for the first time in May and, by beating Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday, became the first Japanese man to reach a grand slam singles semi-final in 79 years.
Nishikori's progress had been held up by his physical fragility, and there were doubts before the tournament if he would play after having minor foot surgery.
But he answered a few critics by following up a five-set win over Milos Raonic in the fourth round, which finished at 2.26am local time, by also going the distance to defeat Wawrinka. If Nishikori was tired or nervous going into his first semi-final, he did not show it, more than matching Djokovic from the back of the court.
An early break came and went, but Nishikori was the one dictating many of the points, and he placed a forehand return onto the outside of the line to move ahead again at 4-3. This time, he held onto his advantage to take the set.
Nishikori is one of the fastest players on tour, and he generates terrific pace off both his forehand and backhand for a man of only 1.78 metres.
His talent has never been in question, but he credits former French Open champion Michael Chang, who joined Nishikori's coaching team in December, with helping him develop his mental strength.
He could not stem the Djokovic tide in the second set, though, with the 2011 champion stepping up the aggression and winning five games in a row.
It was a very hot day, and Nishikori toiled away to hold serve in the third game of the third set.
The question was at what cost, but he got a second wind and combined a backhand pass with a forehand winner to break the Djokovic serve in the eighth game.
That left him serving for the set, but, having been so cool, Nishikori wobbled, double-faulting on break point. Djokovic roared as he held to make it 5-5, but he was strangely passive and paid for it in a lacklustre tiebreaker.
When he handed over his serve meekly at the start of the third set, the alarm bells truly started ringing. He had three chances to break straight back, but Nishikori saved them all.
Djokovic appeared to be struggling more with the heat and never really looked like clawing his way back, as he has done before on so many occasions.
Nishikori kept attacking and, with Djokovic serving at 5-3 down, brought up two match points.
The top seed saved the first but went long on the second, allowing a delighted and slightly stunned Nishikori to celebrate the biggest win of his life.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
