Kei Nishikori Is The First Asian Tennis Player To Reach The U.S. Open Grand Slam Singles Final

The 24-year-old may become the first Japanese player to ever win the Grand Slam championship.

Earlier today, Kei Nishikori beat Novak Djokovic (ranked No. 1 in singles) in the semifinals of the U.S. Open, making him the first Asian male to reach a Grand Slam singles final.

Mike Segar / Reuters

Nishikori won by the score of 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3. He was already the first Japanese male to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 1933.

Nishikori is hoping to join China's Li Na, the first Asian female to win a Grand Slam singles title, as a trendsetter in Asian tennis.

Mike Segar/Reuters

AFP/Getty Images JACQUES DEMARTHON

He is already the highest-ranked Japanese male in the Open Era, although he is still behind Japanese trailblazer Kimiko Date-Krumm, who reached no. 4 on the women's tour in the '90s.

Nishikori, currently no. 11 on the ATP rankings, defeated top-five seeds Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka before his history-making match with Djokovic.

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Nishikori will play against the winner of today's second semifinal between Roger Federer and Marin Cilic on Monday.

Mike Segar / Reuters

Sep. 07, 2014, at 01:34 AM

The last Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam semifinal did so in 1933, not 1918 as this article had previously stated.