Nishikori, Cilic reign supreme on stunning Super Saturday

Well, that’s not exactly what the Flushing Meadows faithful could have had in mind for Super Saturday at the U.S. Open.

Nor will it be what the fans envisioned for championship Monday. Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer? Nope. Try Kei Nishikori vs. Marin Cilic.

In one of the most surprising semifinal days in history at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Nishikori and Cilic scored respective upsets of Djokovic and Federer. It all started when Nishikori got off to a fast start and held on to upset Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3. The Japanese sensation broke his top-ranked opponent five times, including twice in the fourth set. Nishikori is through to his first major final, having previously never been in a semifinal.

“He played some great tennis,” Djokovic said of his conqueror. “I congratulate him for the effort. He was the better player today. Other than that second set, my game today was not even close to what I wanted it to be.”

“This year I have been playing really well,” Nishikori reflected. “I went to (a) final in (a) Masters once and I have been beating those top guys already. I was playing really well and really aggressive, and didn’t wait for the ball. Even (though) the opponent [was] Novak, I was playing my tennis. Everything worked well today.”

To say everything worked well for Cilic would be an understatement. The 16th-ranked Croat could no wrong in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Federer. Cilic blasted 13 aces compared to just one double-fault and held all but one of his service games while winning 39 of 45 first-serve points.

“Just for the performance today from (the) first point to the last, I was absolutely playing the best tennis of my life. Considering the huge occasion I was playing in, the second time in a semifinals of a Grand Slam, it just can’t be more special. The crowd was rooting for Roger to come back. It wasn’t easy to deal with that, but I felt that my serve helped me a lot today, to get some free points to breathe a little bit easier. It was working perfectly.”

“It’s fairly simple,” Federer explained. “I think Marin played great. I think he served great when he had to. I think the first break (early in the first set) was tough. I think I was up 40-0 and then [lost] five straight points. Then (I) had one chance in the third when I was up a break and he came straight back. Those [were] my two moments really. But credit to him for just playing incredible tennis.”

Cilic is 2-5 lifetime against Nishikori. They have faced each other twice in Flushing Meadows, with Nishikori winning a five-hour marathon in 2010 before Cilic prevailed in a four-setter two years later.

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