US Open 2014: Kei Nishikori Reaches the Finals, Defeats Novak Djokovic

US Open 2014: Kei Nishikori Reaches the Finals, Defeats Novak Djokovic

The headlines are in! NHK reports, "An unprecedented feat for Japan."

Kei Nishikori, the 10th seed and Japanese tennis sensation made history as he defeated world number 1 Novak Djokovic at the US Open Semifinals, Sunday at the Flushing Meadows in an intense weather conditions with scores, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.

It was indeed a wonderful moment of rejoice for the people of Japan, as Nishikori marks a milestone in tennis being the first Japanese player to reach a Grand Slam finals since Jiro Sato who last made that record in 1933 at Wimbledon when he reached the last of his five semifinals; as well as the first to do so from someone in Asia.

The strong support for Nishikori was well evident; a small gathering of some 300 local fans all joined in cheering for him, as they watched the match through a big-screen set up at a local hotel in the rural capital of Matsue, Shimane, in which Nishikori comes from. Some of those present were students from Nishikori's former tennis school, including his former coach Masaki Kashiwagi.

The matched ended at 4am in Japan, and despite the wee hours; Japan couldn't contain its happiness and excitement in congratulating Nishikori. Nishikori, despite having stayed more in Florida since leaving Japan to train is one of Japan's biggest sports stars. With sponsorship from big clothing company Uniqlo, Nissin cup noodles, and a sports drink.

Nishikori has long displayed great potentials while at Bollettiero Academy, receiving the nickname Project 45. The name suggests that he has the abilities to become the highest-ranked Japanese tennis player, even surpassing that of Shuzo Matsuoka's record of No. 46 in 1992.

Nishikori will next meet Marin Cilic, who defeated Roger Federer to reach the finals, Monday.

 

Tags : US Open 2014 Kei Nishikori US Open 2014 Marin Cilic US Open 2014 news US Open 2014 semifinals US Open 2014 finals US Open 2014 update US Open 2014 Djokovic US Open 2014 Federer Kei Nishikori Marin Cilic NHK Kei Nishikori Japan Flushing Meadows Wimbledon Grand Slam finals Bollettiero Academy Kei Nishikori Uniqlo Kei Nishikori Nissin Bollettiero Academy alumni Kei Nishikori sponsors Shuzo Matsuoka tennis US Open tennis 2014 tennis school Jiro Sato Japanese tennis players