Chants of ‘Kei, Kei, Kei’ rang out in Arthur Ashe Stadium as fans tried to lift him, but after dispatching three of the top five seeds in punishing encounters he was no match for Cilic’s power and precision. ‘It’s a really good feeling,’ he said of the support, which included the backing of the New York Yankees’ 25-year-old Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. Everybody calling me ‘Kei’ or ‘Nishi,’ said Nishikori, who said even though he has lived in Florida for a decade he often still finds Americans calling him ‘Key’ or ‘Kay’.
That kind of mistake will be less frequent if Nishikori can continue to play as he has over the past fortnight. His run to the final, itself a first for an Asian man, included wins over world number one Novak Djokovic, third-seeded Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, and big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, the fifth seed who was a Wimbledon semifinalist.
His fourth-round win over Raonic took four hours and 19 minutes and finished at 2:26 on Tuesday morning, matching the latest finish in US Open history. Then came a four-hour, 15-minute five-setter over Wawrinka, and in his first Grand Slam semifinal he out-lasted Djokovic in four sets played in punishing heat and humidity. ‘There is a lot of things, positive things, that I learned from these two weeks. I played a long three matches, two five sets and another against Novak. My body is heavy, but I am able to play. I don’t think a few years ago would happen like this. I think I showed my potential,’ Nishikori said.
That kind of mistake will be less frequent if Nishikori can continue to play as he has over the past fortnight. His run to the final, itself a first for an Asian man, included wins over world number one Novak Djokovic, third-seeded Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, and big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, the fifth seed who was a Wimbledon semifinalist.
His fourth-round win over Raonic took four hours and 19 minutes and finished at 2:26 on Tuesday morning, matching the latest finish in US Open history. Then came a four-hour, 15-minute five-setter over Wawrinka, and in his first Grand Slam semifinal he out-lasted Djokovic in four sets played in punishing heat and humidity. ‘There is a lot of things, positive things, that I learned from these two weeks. I played a long three matches, two five sets and another against Novak. My body is heavy, but I am able to play. I don’t think a few years ago would happen like this. I think I showed my potential,’ Nishikori said.