Liguori: Top Seed Novak Djokovic Sent Home Early
By Ann Liguori
» More Columns
Kei Nishikori became the first Asian man to advance to a Grand Slam final. The 24-year-old from Japan ousted the top-ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3.
Nishikori impressed with his all-court game, stamina and impeccable timing. He had an answer for everything Djokovic threw in his direction. Nishikori was dictating the points more than Djokovic.
The 27-year-old from Serbia was hoping to advance to his fifth straight U.S. Open final but had too many unforced errors. He made several of them in the third set tiebreaker to drop that set 7-4. Nishikori then broke early in the fourth set and dominated from there.
Most impressive was how Nishikori was able to rebound from two, five-set, matches lasting over four hours in the previous two rounds. On a 90-degree day with high humidity and court temperatures nearly reaching 100 degrees, Nishikori looked fresher than Djokovic, chasing down shots and hitting dazzling winners from all over the court.
Nishikori must be a rock star in Japan. It was 4 a.m. in his home country when the match ended and Nishikori said he hoped people were watching.
Nishikori now lives in Bradenton, Fla., and trains at the IMG Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Michael Chang, who won the 1989 French Open and was a finalist at the 1996 U.S. Open, is his coach and has obviously made a huge impact.
After the match, Djokovic admitted that aside from the second set, his game was "not even close to what I wanted it to be." He said he just wasn't himself, but applauded Kei Nishikori and said his win "is huge for Japan."
Nishikori is hungry and fearless and will definitely pose a threat to whomever he plays in Monday's final. It will be either five-time U.S. Open champ Roger Federer or 14th seed Marin Cilic of Croatia.
That second semifinal match started an hour late because of rain.
You Might Also Be Interested In:
