The draw of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open 2024 has been released and a few interesting matchups have caught the attention of the fans. The likes of the Ben Shelton-Reilly Opelka and Taylor Fritz-Aurthur Fils are expected to be entertaining. However, the entire tennis community is keenly looking forward to the rematch of the US Open 2014 final between Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori in the opening round.
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Cilic and Nishikori have had respectably notable careers. However, both players in their mid-30s have been riddled with injuries in the recent past. These two have shown incredible resilience by not retiring from professional tennis despite the challenges that they’ve had to overcome, in the form of physical toll.
Because Nishikori and Cilic are ranked #200 and #373 on the tour, respectively, just the simple fact that they are participating in a Masters 1000 tournament is a big deal in itself. Further, both of them would also love to face each other as a mark of the completion of 10 years since their US Open 2014 finals duel.
The players might not be the only ones to get emotional. As soon as the details of the draws came out, a majority of the users revealed being nostalgic.
Rolling back the years……. literally
— Green Ticks (@Green__Ticks) September 23, 2024
Awesome
— Ateet (@ateet09) September 23, 2024
“Nishikori vs. Cilic is a must-watch
— bilal (@bilal1842477) September 23, 2024
To reminisce about their Grand Slam final battle from a decade ago, this matchup can expect to attract a lot of eyeballs.
Cilic and Nishikori orchestrated huge upsets to reach the finals of the US Open 2014
Neither of the two players – Marin Cilic or Kei Nishikori – were among the top-ranked players during the US Open 2014. While the Japanese were the #10 seed, Cilic was #14. However, both played better tennis than what their ranks suggested during the two weeks in Flushing Meadows.
Both players had a similar route to the finals – upsetting top-10-seeded players at the beginning of the second week. They further managed to impress the sporting world when Nishikori and Cilic upset #1 Novak Djokovic and #2 Roger Federer, respectively, in the semifinals.
Unfortunately, the finals of the major tournament didn’t live up to its hype. Seems like Nishikori was exhausted after having to defeat three title contenders – Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka, and Djokovic. As a result, he lost in straight sets (3-6, 3-6, 3-6).
Hopefully, the contest that is set to take place on Wednesday at 10 PM ET will be much more entertaining than their iconic clash from 10 years ago.
