Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic to meet in the US Open semi-final
Thursday 6 September 2018 06:39, UK
Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic will collide for a place in the US Open final after winning their quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
Nishikori beat Marin Cilic 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 before Djokovic won 6-3 6-4 6-4 against John Millman, who had previously eliminated Roger Federer.
It was a case of sweet revenge for Nishikori as he outlasted Cilic, four years after losing to the Croatian player in the final of the US Open.
In a rematch of the 2014 final, it was the Japanese star who exacted his vengeance in four hours and eight minutes.
Cilic, who won their final meeting in straight sets, was pushed to the limit this time around with Nishikori extending his dominance to nine wins from 15 meetings.
Nishikori, who missed last year's US Open after a season-ending wrist injury, joined compatriot Naomi Osaka in reaching the semis - the first time that a Japanese man and woman have reached the last four in the same Grand Slam.
Cilic has reached two Grand Slam finals in the past 18 months and was eager to make up for the disappointment of a second-round exit at Wimbledon. He made the best possible start on another scorching hot day in New York by racing through the opening set in 36 minutes.
Former world No 4 Nishikori finally came to life midway through the second set as he extracted a few errors from Cilic and lifted his own game to fight back from 4-2 down to successfully level things up on a sweltering Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Nishikori won the opening two games of the third to make it six games in a row before surviving six deuces to come through a marathon sixth game. But he was unable to escape in the eighth game as Cilic turned the screw to hit back in style.
However, the 21st-ranked Nishikori took the third set in a tie-break, helped by a few costly double-faults from his opponent before the 10-minute heat rule came into play to the relief of Cilic.
A tactical switch enabled and a shift in momentum enabled seventh-seeded Cilic to dominate the fourth set, giving up just four points on serve to send the contest into a deciding set.
After a further exchange of breaks, the giant Croatian crumbled under pressure as he served to stay in the match with Nishikori's attacking style earning him a spot in his third career semi-final at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic's route was far more straightforward but the humidity, a regular feature at this year's US Open, haunted him and Millman.
At one point Millman told the umpire that he couldn't put a ball in his pocket because his shorts were soaked through with sweat.
"I was struggling, he was struggling," Djokovic added. "Changing a lot of t-shirts, shorts and just trying to hang in there and find a way to win the match.
"Not easy conditions to play in, but it's the same for both players."
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Tennis is back on Sky Sports screens with the Laver Cup in September while we will also have coverage of the ATP Finals in November with every match live on Sky Sports. But first, we will be across the final major of the year in New York as the US Open right through to the final with live blogs, reports, features and reaction.
