Cilic wins maiden US Open title

Croatia’s Marin Cilic swept past Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to win the US Open and reach the pinnacle of the sport one year after a doping ban kept him out of the year’s final grand slam.

The big-serving Croatian overwhelmed a weary Nishikori in one hour, 54 minutes to clinch a ruthless victory and deny his 10th-seeded opponent’s bid to become the first Asian man to win a grand slam.

With the win, 14th seed Cilic becomes the first Croatian to win one of the sport’s four grand slam championships since his coach Goran Ivanisevic celebrated a Wimbledon victory in 2001.

“This is all hard work in these last several years and especially this last year,” said Cilic. “My team has brought something special to me, especially Goran, we were working really hard but the most important thing he brought to me was enjoying tennis and always having fun.”

“I enjoyed my best tennis over here and played the best ever in my life.”

The final marked the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that at least one of tennis’s big three of Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer was not playing for the title.