Marin Cilic of Croatia has won the US Open championship, thrashing Japan’s Kei Nishikori in three straight sets, 6-3,6-3-6-3.
He thus became the first Croatian man to win a Grand Slam title since Goran Ivanisevic, now his coach, triumphed at Wimbledon in 2001.
It also comes 12 months after the 25 year old Croatian was forced to skip the tournament to serve out a controversial doping ban.
Both Cilic and Nishikori are first-time Grand Slam finalists.
Nishikori shocked world number one Novak Djokovic in the semis while Cilic ousted 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.
Cilic was seeded 14th in New York and Nishikori, 10th. Both players were bookmakers outsiders for the final match.
Cilic, playing in his 28th Grand Slam event, is the lowest-ranked champion since Pete Sampras, then 17th in the world, claimed the 2002 title in New York.
But victory was well-deserved with Cilic saving eight of nine break points, firing 17 aces and 38 winners past a weary-looking Nishikori who had defeated three top five players to make his maiden major final — Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and world number one Novak Djokovic.
“There has been a lot of hard work in these last few years and especially this last year. I think my team has brought something special to me, especially Goran,” said Cilic who, like Nishikori, was making his debut in a major final.
“We’ve been working really hard but the most important thing that he has brought to me is joy in tennis and always having fun. I enjoyed my best tennis over here and played the best ever in my life.”
Cilic also told his fellow professionals that the likes of Djokovic, Roger Federer and 2013 champion Rafael Nadal, absent this year through injury, can be defeated.
“I feel that for all the other players that are working hard, I think this is a big sign that if you’re working hard things are going to pay off,” he said.
Nishikori admitted he had been outplayed.
“Marin was playing really well today, I couldn’t play my tennis. It’s a tough loss but I am happy to get to my first final,” said Nishikori. “But I will get the trophy next time — it was a fun two weeks.”
Monday’s final was the first at a major not to feature either Djokovic, Federer or Rafael Nadal since the 2005 Australian Open — so long ago that it was pre-Twitter.
It was also a battle of contrasting styles between the 5ft 10in (1.78m), 150lbs (68kg) Nishikori and the bigger, heavier 6ft 6in (1.98m), 180lbs (82kg) Cilic who had knocked out five-time champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals.
Under overcast skies and on the coolest day of a two-week tournament marked by punishing heat and high humidity, the championship match began inside a half-full Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Once he had saved a break point in the first game, Cilic was comfortably the dominant player breaking for 4-2 and claiming the opening set in 33 low-key minutes when Nishikori, on the defensive and pinned behind the baseline, patted a meek backhand into the net.
The big Croat’s 11 winners to the Japanese’s two illustrated the one-sided nature of the contest.
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