Kei Nishikori stunned Novak Djokovic last night to become the first Japanese player ever to reach a grand slam singles final.

World number one Djokovic was bidding to reach his fifth consecutive US Open final but Nishikori played superbly to win 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-3 and set up a clash with either Roger Federer or Marin Cilic.

The 24-year-old world number 11, who also becomes the first Asian man to make a slam singles final, said: “I don’t know what’s going on.

“I was a little bit tight, especially with my first semi-final in a grand slam. It’s just an amazing feeling, beating the number one player and playing much better than the last couple of matches.

“I’m so happy. It was tough conditions but I guess I love to play long matches and I hope I can recover well for the final.

“I hope it’s big news in Japan. I feel the support from Japan, even from the TV. It’s 4am in Japan but I hope a lot of people are watching.”

It has been a productive year for Nishikori since he was beaten in the first round by Britain’s Dan Evans at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago.

He broke into the top 10 for the first time in May and, by beating Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday, became the first Japanese man to reach a grand slam singles semi-final in 79 years.

Nishikori’s progress had been held up by his physical fragility, and there were doubts before the tournament whether he would play after undergoing minor foot surgery.

But the 24-year-old certainly answered a few critics by following up a five-set win over Milos Raonic in the fourth round, which finished at 2.26am, by also going the distance to defeat Wawrinka.

And if Nishikori was tired or nervous going into his first semi-final, he did not show it, more than matching Djokovic from the back of the court.

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