Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic arranged an unexpected showdown in the 2014 US Open Tennis final after scoring huge upsets against their respective celebrated opponents on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Nishikori scored a huge 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 upset victory over top-seeded Novak Djokovic to advance to his first ever Grand Slam final, while denying the Serb the opportunity to grab his second title at Flushing Meadows.
Nishikori, who defeated fifth-seeded Milos Raonic and third-seeded Stan Wawrinka on his way to the final, became the first Asian to advance to the Grand Slam final just two days after becoming the first Japanese to reach a Grand Slam semis since 1918.
"This is definitely huge for Japan. It's a big country. Over a hundred million people," Djokovic said of Nishikori's win. "This can definitely be a great encouragement for tennis in that country. He's been around for last couple of years. He's been making a lot of success. But playing finals of a Grand Slam and now fighting for title is definitely something different. You know, he has gotten to another level, and I'm sure that people will praise him."
The 10th-seeded Japanese will go up against Cilic in the final after the 14th-seeded Croat scored a convincing 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win against Roger Federer in their semifinal showdown.
Cilic was on target all-game long as he managed to withstand several rallies from Federer. Cilic also had 13 aces, three in the final game, which were enough to beat the second-seeded Swiss in just 1 hour and 45 minutes.
"Just an amazing day for me. I feel amazing," said Cilic, who played just in his second Grand Slam semis. "To be able to play like this, I never dreamed of."
Nishikori will be a heavy favorite in his final showdown with Cilic. The 24-year-old Japanese defeated Cilic in their past two meetings, but the world No. 11 is expecting a tough final showdown.
"I been playing with him couple times, but he was different story," Nishikori said. "He's been playing really well, very aggressive, you know, very fast tennis. I know he's been getting stronger."
Complete day 13 results are available on this link, while match highlights can be viewed here.
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