There won’t be another magical run to the U.S. Open final for Kei Nishikori.
After bursting to national prominence with a thrilling run last year, Nishikori’s encore performance wound up being far shorter, as the fourth-ranked player in the world lost to unseeded Frenchman Benoit Paire in five sets (6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4) Monday afternoon in the tournament’s first match in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“It’s very sad to lose [in the] first round, but I think he was playing very good tennis,” Nishikori said. “I don’t think I played bad. … [I] didn’t play great, but it’s never easy [in the] first match.
“You try to think about the next one, and I hope I can come back strong next year.”
While Marin Cilic, who beat Nishikori in last year’s final, followed him onto the court inside Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday and cruised to a straight-set win over Argentinian Guido Pella, Nishikori simply gave away a chance to close out the match in the fourth set.
After losing the first set, Nishikori recovered by winning the second and third, and appeared on the verge of winning the match when he took a 6-4 lead in the fourth-set tiebreak, giving him two break points to win.
But Nishikori flubbed a forehand on the first break point to allow Paire back into the match, and after the Frenchman won three straight points to take the fourth set, he carried that momentum into the fifth, going up a break and winning it to send Nishikori to an early exit that was as stunning as his run a year ago.
“When I saw the draw against Kei, I said, ‘Bad luck,’ ” Paire joked after his win.
“But, to be honest, I think I’m lucky [to win]. At 6-4 in the tiebreak for him, he had two match points. He could win, he could lose. So, today for me is a good day, and I’m very happy to win.”
For Nishikori, however, it was a day to reflect on what has been arguably the best year of his career, as he carried forward the momentum he built up from last year’s Open with appearances in the quarterfinals at both the Australian and French Opens this year and wins in three ATP tournaments, including in Washington earlier in August.
But the 25-year-old couldn’t recapture his Open magic, leaving him wondering how his stay in New York already has ended.
“I mean, it’s just one match, so I cannot say something changed,” Nishikori said. “I think it’s more him playing good tennis.
“It’s tough to lose in five sets, but I think I [fought] to the end. … It was a good match for both of us.”
Cilic, on the other hand, cruised in his match, winning tiebreaks in the second and third sets to ease past Pella and continue the defense of his title.
“This experience of defending the Grand Slam title for the first time is something that I’m going to learn a lot from, for sure,” Cilic said.