At long last: Nishikori ends Japan’s 96-year wait for US Open semis

Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese man for almost a century to reach the US Open semi-finals on Wednesday after securing an epic 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 win over Stan Wawrinka. The 24-year-old 10th seed triumphed in 4 hours 15 minutes, his second marathon clash after needing 4 hours 19 minutes to get past Milos Raonic in the previous round. Nishikori will face world number one Novak Djokovic on Saturday for a place in Monday’s final. Nishikori stands at 1-1 against Djokovic, who beat old foe Andy Murray in a typically gruelling encounter. Djokovic came off with a 7-6 (1) 6-7 6-2 6-4 win over the Scot.

It feels amazing. I am playing well and I hope to play at 100 percent in the semi-finals.

Kei Nishikori

In the women’s semis, Serena Williams romped into the final after earlier trailing against Flavia Pennetta 3-0. So relieved and excited to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time this year, Williams seemed to be facing the ghosts of her lost majors again. Williams won game after game, six times in a row, to take the first set and dominated the second for a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the 11th-seeded Pennetta. Williams, the two-time defending United States Open champion, has a 19-match winning streak in Flushing Meadows. The top-seeded Williams is the only woman among the top nine seeds to reach the semifinals, but having lost to opponents ranked 14th, 24th and 35th at Grand Slam events this year, she is not taking her favorite status for granted. She will face Ekaterina Makarova in the finals.

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