Today we witnessed two shocking U.S. Open semifinal upsets.
The first came when No.1 ranked Novak Djokovic was beaten by No. 10 ranked Kei Nishikori, making him the first man from Asia to reach a Grand Slam singles final.
Hours later, No. 2 ranked Roger Federer was defeated by No. 14 ranked Marin Cilic, also giving him his first trip to a Grand Slam final.
According to CBS, this will be the first time in a decade that a men’s major finals tournament didn’t include either Federer, Djokovic or Rafael Nadal, the 2013 U.S. Open champion who did not defend his title due to a right wrist injury. These three combined to win 34 of the last 38 major tournament titles.
I definitely thought we were gonna see a Federer and Djokovic final, but I always respect an underdog that is able to prosper and reach a new goal. Kudos to both Nishikori and Cilic on being one step closer to a professional tennis player’s dream.