On Sept. 8, 2014, in one of the most unexpected US Open finals of the Open era, Marin Cilic defeats Kei Nishikori, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, to win the men’s singles championship.
The title match is set up by a pair of semifinal upsets – No. 10 seed Nishikori over No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 14 Cilic over No. 2 Roger Federer – and marks the first time since the 2005 Australian Open (Marat Safin d. Lleyton Hewitt) that a Grand Slam final is contested without either Djokovic, Federer or Rafael Nadal. It is the first US Open final without any of those three men since 2003, when Andy Roddick topped Juan Carlos Ferrero to win his sole major crown.
The final is also the first time two men have each made their Grand Slam finals debuts at the US Open since Patrick Rafter defeated Greg Rusedski in 1997 for the first of his two US Open titles.
At No. 14, Cilic is the lowest-seeded men’s singles champion since No. 17 Pete Sampras in 2002.
