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9/3/10 6:05 AM | Ricky Dimon
Kei Nishikori upsets Marin Cilic in five tough sets on Thursday at the U.S. Open. Nishikori is just barely though to a third-round encounter with Albert Montanes.
This was not exactly the Isner-Mahut Wimbledon epic, but it's hard to imagine any remaining match at the 2010 U.S. Open lasting longer than Thursday's clash between Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic.
Nishikori outlasted Cilic 5-7, 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-1 after four hours and 59 minutes of play in sweltering heat to reach the third round. The Japanese sensation will have one day of rest before suiting back up on Saturday against Albert Montanes, who rolled over Carsten Ball.
Nothing was routine about the Nishikori-Cilic showdown. Set one featured shaky performances on serve, and Cilic's third break of the day came at 5-5 before he served out the opening frame of play one game later.
The 6'6'' Croat had a good chance to take a two-set lead as both players held from start to finish en route to a second-set tiebreaker. Cilic led 2-0 and regained the advantage at 6-5, but Nishikori survived a set point by capping off a brutal rally with a perfect volley winner. Two points later, the qualifier took the set and evened the match.
Cilic earned the third set by converting his lone break chance, and he looked poised for a four-set win when he battled back from a 4-1 deficit in the fourth. The No. 11 seed managed to force a tiebreaker and he again took a 2-0 lead, but Nishikori won seven of the next eight points to extend the proceedings.
Having missed an opportunity to bring a merciful and victorious end to the battle, Cilic ran out of gas in the fifth. Both players were struggling physically, but Nishikori had far more left in the tank than his opponent. Due to slowness of play and one medical timeout for Cilic, the fifth set took 49 minutes to complete despite lasting only seven games. Nishikori's sixth break of the afternoon finally wrapped up the grueling affair.
"It's not easy to accept that you stayed on court for five hours, had chances, and then you're done," said Cilic. "It was physically very tough. The conditions were really tough. It was hot and it was very humid and it wasn't easy to get the oxygen."
"I'm pretty tired of course," Nishikori explained. "I was cramping from the second or third set but I kept fighting and fighting and that fourth-set tiebreak was key for me. It was a great match. It was hot but I am feeling great now."
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Nishikori-san, well done.
Continue the good run atleast upto QF
sabs , 9/3/10 12:53 PM
Omedeto, Kei-kun!
Nishi-Montañés will be a match to watch, that's for sure!
grafight , 9/3/10 3:19 PM
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Congrats to Nishikori for the win. What a match, almost five hours of torture under the hot sun and the humid condition. Its a pity that one of them has to lose. I like the way Nishikori plays, wow, there are so many young players out there that can play the game and with varieties. I like De Bakker the most, having seen the way he played during this clay season against the big guys; followed by Dolgo boy, whose game is so original and special, and now Nishikori for his intelligent play and his fighting spirit.
Poor Cilic, never seem able to do anything right these days. I know the heat and humidity is a factor, and I hope he does more training in sweltering heat like this and learn to cope with such conditions; maybe take a leaf out of Murray's book where physical training in the heat is concerned. I guess Cilic succumb to the pressure of living up to expectations, after his SF appearance at the AO this year. He will fall further down the ranking with this loss, maybe a good thing for him, when there is no more expectations then he can slowly find his way back.
I hope he continues to work on his game; there is no more spark in his game, he just stay at the baseline and hit as hard as possible and sometimes shanks his shots due to overhitting. There is no more transition to the net like what he used to do in the past, just contented with staying at the baseline. I'm a bit disappointed by the way he plays nowadays; hope he finds the spark(s) again as he is such a talented young player with such graceful movement and speed around the court, and is capable of good net plays too. Go Marin!
luckystar , 9/3/10 9:10 AM