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Japan hails Nishikori
JAPANESE fans responded with groans and tears when Kei Nishikori was beaten in the final of the US Open on Monday, but took some consolation from the fact he became the first Japanese player to reach a grand slam singles final.
Croatian Marin Cilic swept past Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in New York in a match that got many Japanese out of bed early yesterday to cheer for Nishikori before heading out to work and school.
Bleary-eyed fans packed into an event viewing space in the trendy Shibuya area of Tokyo in the rainy dawn to watch the match, chanting “Kei, Kei, Kei”.
“It was really too bad he ended up losing,” said Kazuya Hirata, 46. “But you can say that history was made.”
Nishikori’s fairytale run to the final included two gruelling five-set wins over Wimbledon semifinalist Milos Raonic and Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka and a shock victory over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
No Japanese player had ever made a grand slam singles final before although a handful, including Ichiya Kumagae, Jiro Sato, Kazuko Sawamatsu and Kimiko Date-Krumm, made the semifinals.
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