7:25 P.M. EST: Thank you for joining me for our live coverage of the 2014 US Open Men's Final at VAVEL USA, as Marin Cilic captured the first Grand Slam title of his career with a straight sets victory over Kei Nishikori on Monday evening in Flushing Meadows, New York.
7:10 P.M. EST: In what was as one-sided of a Grand Slam Final we have seen in sometime, Clic was simply on another level in Flushing Meadows on Monday evening. Be it because Kei Nishikori simply ran out of steam or just simply being unable to deal with the hard-hitting Croatian, this one wasn't even close.
That's it!!!! He ends it in style with a huge crosscourt backhand winner and Marin Cilic is your 2014 US Open Champion, blowing past Kei Nishikori in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to win the first Grand Slam title of his career.
40-0: Triple match point
5-3: Nishikori holds and Cilic will serve for the match
40-30: Not surprisngly, Nishikori won't go quietly, firing his second ace of the match but the end is clealry near.
5-2: Cilic holds on the strength of a brilliant backhand down the line and that my friends was Nishikori's last chance to get back into this one.
40-40: Suddenly Cilic can't hit a first serve but Nishikori cannot take advantage
15-30: Cilic with a couple of hiccups...it's now or never for Nishikori with a second serve on the way
4-2: Nishikori holds at love with arguably his biggest forehand of the day but his time is almost up....needs to make something happpen right now.
4-1: The big man holds and is now just two games from winning his third consecutive match in straight sets. Not too shabby of a run through the quarters, semis and final of a major championship.
40-30: great point from John McEnroe on the CBS telecast, there been almost no easy point for Nishikori
15-15: Perfectly played backhand lob from Nishikori but it's as though he has to be perfect to even win a point
3-1: The end appears to almost be here
15-40: Nishikori is clearly on the ropes...double break point
2-1: Closes it out with ace No. 14 and while they remain on serve, time is running out on Nishikori and his dream run through the 2014 US Open
30-40: Beautiful lob and Cilic is looking almost unbeatable
30-15: Nishikori with the rare forehand winner off the return
1-1: Kei holds...that was an absolute must
40-40: Nothing is coming easy for Nishikori...Cilic is pushing him in almost every service game
1-0: Nishikori fights to get the game to Deuce on two seperate occasions but Cilic finds a way to hold
40-0: Cilic with three straight aces...13-0 for the match
Third Set: Clic will serve first in what he is hoping will be the final step needed in order to capture the first US Open Trophy of his career.
3-6: An absolutely gorgeous forehand winner down the line and set number two is now in books. 70 minutes in and Cilic is a set away from his first career Grand Slam title. It has been an all-out dominant performance from the hard serving Croatian.
30-40: Couple of wild forehands from Cilic followed by two more errors from Nishikori...set point
3-5: Finally something to build on for Nishikori...still down a break but he has to start somewhere
40-40: A pair of big serves and we are back at Deuce
15-40: A possible ray of hope for Nishikori
15-15: Another forehand winner from Cilic...his ninth of the match
2-5: Just like that another break of serve and this finali Is on the verge of coming off the rails for Japanese fan favouirite.
15-40: Cilic continues to punish Nishikori's second serve
2-4: Make that Ace No. 9 and 10...Cilic holds at love..WOW!!!
30-0: Ace No. 7 and 8
2-3: Nishikori holds at love but remains down a break and a set...needs to make something happen and swing the momentum his way
1-3: Cilic refuses to break...bounces back with four big serves and extends his lead
15-40: Nishikori with a brilliant passing shot and is suddenly staring at breaking right back
1-2: Cilic breaks following a 100MPH forehand winner another error from Nishikori...this is starting to get out of hand
40-40: Brilliant drop shot followed by an ace and Nishikori is level
0-40: Cilic with another triple break opportunity
1-1: Two more errors from Nishikori and we are level at one to start set number two
30-0: Cilic with two bombs to jump out to an early lead
1-0: Solid hold from the World No. 8..with a couple of forehand winners mixed in for good measure
Second Set: Nishikori to serve...only served at a 48% clip in the opener
6-3: That was just too easy. 33 minutes in and Nishikori is in a big hole. Could all that extra on court time be finally catching up to him? Scary thing is, Cilic was only average in taking home set number one.
30-0: Best rally of the match goes to Cilic followed by a beautiful volley
5-3: Nishikori holds and Cilic will serve for the set
30-30: Nishikori continues to look uncomfortable in his own skin...eerily similar to his start against Wawrinka
5-2: Another monster first serve and just like that, Cilic is a game away from taking the opening set. Nishikori has to find his game quick or this one could get away from him.
40-15: Back-to-back forehand winners from Cilic
4-2: Cilic breaks as Nishikori sends a backhand wide....ugly service game from the Japanese No. 1
0-40: Couple of loose points from Nishikori....
3-2: The towering Croatian makes it look easy, holding at love. Cilic is starting to find the range on his serve...not a good sign for Nishikori
40-0: Cilic with a pair of massive serves and a cross-court winner
2-2: Great looking forehand winner from Nishikori
40-15: Fairly straight forward looking hold for Nishikori
2-1: They remain on serve after three games but it's been one unforced error after another...still looking to settle into this one.
40-0: Cilic hasn't found the range but ...
1-1: Nishkori bounces back from 0-30 to stay on serve
1-0: Cilic holds thanks to massive forehand and1st serve
First Set, 30-40: As expected both guys looking nervous to start hings off but Nishikori has an early break chance
5:10 P.M. EST: Cilic to serve and we are under way
5:05 P.M. EST: Both guys are on the correct warming up and we are mere moments away from the start of the 2014 US Open Final...this should be a beauty!!!
4:55 P.M. EST: Hoping Arthur Ashe Stadium is at full capicity for this one...anything less would frankly be a major disappointment for what has otherwise been yet another wonderful event in Flushing Meadows, New York.
4:54P.M EST: Cilic from earlier today practicing out on Arthur Ashe Stadium in preperation for tonight's finale
4:52 P.M. EST: We are roughly 20 minutes away from the start of the 2014 US Open Final and one has to think the butterflies are starting to set in. Expecting some early jitters from both Cilic and Nishikori but hoping for a realitevely clean match.
4:47 P.M. EST: While I was also hoping for another Djokovic vs Federer chapter to add into the record books, the truth of the matter is Cilic and Nishikori are the two guys who deserve to be here. Kei has beat Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic to get here while the towering Croation knocked out Tomas Berdych and Federer to reach the final. That's five of the top seven players in the world...neither one backed into this opportunity. They earned it.
4:38 P.M. EST: According to Forbes.com the average price for U.S. Open Final tickets have dropped 14% over the last couple of days, to an average of $598. As a point of comparison, that’s 13% less expensive than last year’s final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in which the Spaniard prevailed in four tough sets. Apparently the masses are not overly excited about seeing some new blood in the Final but those in attendance could very well end up being pleasently surprised.
4:12 P.M. EST: While the ATP Rankings well change yet again following the outcome of today's final, both men have already seen their ranking climb following their upset wins over Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. As of this morning, Nishikori has moved up to No. 8 in the world, while Cilic sits at No. 12...the highest he has been since April 2010 when he was ranked No. 9 in the world.
3:13 P.M. EST: However, from what we have seen over the last handful of days, Kei Nishikori is truly the wild card in all of this. If he can somehow find a way to muster up enough energy to compete at the level he has shown over his last three matches, something tells me he could be almost be impossible to beat. Neither one has ever had to deal with this sort pressure, so expecting the unexpected might just be the way to go.
3:12 P.M. EST: Always considered to have one of the premier serves in the men’s game, Cilic’s on court performance has looked eerily similar to that of his current coach and former Wimbledon champ Goran Ivanisevic. If he continues to serve at the same clip and mixes in the return game he has shown over the last couple of weeks, the towering Croatian could very well end up walking away from Monday night’s final with the first Grand Slam title of his career.
3:11 P.M. EST: Cilic had a much tougher time during the early rounds at Flushing Meadows, going four sets with South African Ken Anderson in the third round and a full five against Frenchman Gilles Simone in the fourth, but absolutely blew past No. 6 seed Tomas Berdych and Federer with next to no trouble. The soon-to-be twenty-six year old used his powerful serve and underrated return game to near perfection, in dominating both Berdych and the former No. 1 player in the world.
3:10 P.M. EST: He took the match to Djokovic from the very first point and outside of a brief reprieve from the talented Serbian in set number two…it was an all-out assault from the five-time ATP winner. No matter what the No. 1 seed tried, nothing was good enough to get him back on track and push by the kid from Shimane, Japan.
3:09 P.M. EST: With two extremely long matches already on his resume for the week, no one gave him much of shot of knocking off the seven-time Grand Slam winner but that did not seem to bother Nishikori in the least.
3:08 P.M. EST: Not surprisingly, the fan favourite came out flat following his near four and half hour battle against Raonic but to his credit, he did what he had to do in order to stay in the match until he found his game. He would outlast the 2014 Australian Open champ in what was another four hour plus marathon to advance to a semi-final date versus the number one player in the world.
3:07 P.M. EST: However, the pressure of the moment turned out to be too much for big man to handle, as he inexplicably had his serve broken and promptly dropped the set 5-7. From that point on, Nishikori raised his level of play and never looked back….booking a quarterfinal date with No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka.
3:06 P.M. EST: After breezing through the opening three rounds without much issue, the twenty-four year old managed to outlast No. 5 seed Milos Raonic in a five set marathon in round four but was somewhat fortunate to get past the hard-serving Canadian. Raonic looked to be in the driver’s seat at 5-5 in the fourth set with a possible tiebreaker looming in the distance.
3:05 P.M. EST: Nishikori has never looked better, reeling off what has been the greatest three match stretch of his young career. While he will become the first ever Japanese born player to take part in a Men’s Grand Slam Final when he steps out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium, the kid hasn’t exactly had the easiest of roads in getting here but has actually played better the deeper he has gone into the draw.
3:04 P.M. EST: That isn’t the case in 2014, as Cilic and Nishikori will be making their debut appearances in a Grand Slam Final and both entered New York outside of the top ten in the ATP World Rankings. With that said, both men have more than earned their place in today’s finale and could quite possibly deliver one heck of match on one of the game’s biggest stages.
3:03 P.M. EST: While Safin did eliminate a young Federer in the semi-finals back in 2005, following what was a thrilling five set marathon, the talented Russian wasn’t exactly a surprise name to see in the final four. In fact, that year all four of the top seeds advanced into the semis but it was the top two, in Federer and Andy Roddick, who were upset before being able to renew acquaintances following their 2004 Wimbledon Final clash.
3:02 P.M. EST: On that day we saw Marat Safin win his second of two career majors, knocking off Lleyton Hewitt in four sets at the Australian Open. Since then there have been exactly thirty-eight Grand Slam events that have come and gone and not a single one was missing one of the big three…that is until today.
3:01 P.M. EST: With the world of tennis still a buzz following surprise victories from Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori during Saturday’s Semi-Finals at the 2014 US Open, we are now mere hours away from witnessing the first Men’s Grand Slam Final since 2005 that will not include at least one of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal playing for the title.
3:00 P.M. EST: US Open: Men’s Final Could Truly Go Either Way - Welcome to VAVEL USA's LIVE coverage of the 2014 Mens' US Open Final! I'm Rob Soria, and I will lead you thorugh the evening.
