Japan’s Naomi, Nishikori shine at US Open
NEW YORK: Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori blazed a trail into the US Open quarter-finals on Monday putting a Japanese man and woman in the last eight together at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
The breakthrough also marked the first time that a Japanese man and woman made the quarter-finals of any Grand Slam since Kimiko Date and Shuzo Matsuoka at the 1995 Wimbledon.
On a sun-baked Louis Armstrong Stadium court, Nishikori began an historic afternoon by outclassing Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 before handing the stage over to Naomi, who tamed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, then walked off unaware of what had been accomplished.
“No,” smiled Naomi when informed of the US Open first. “I’m glad I was able to be a part of something like that today.
“I always thought if I can keep up with him (Nishikori), that would be really cool.”
Matching Nishikori’s results on the court may prove far easier than keeping pace with the popular athlete when it comes to endorsements. Despite having never won a Grand Slam, just 11 career tournaments and none since 2016, Nishikori is in the same league as Grand Slam kings Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal when it comes to pitching products.
Federer, the winner of a record 20 Grand Slams, is the best paid tennis player at seventh on Forbes’ 2018 list of highest paid athletes, having earned US$77.2 million(RM320 million including US$65 million from endorsements.
Nadal, whose resume includes 17 Grand Slams, sits 20th on US$41.4 million while Nishikori checks in as tennis’s third highest earner with US$36.4 million, matching Welsh soccer player Gareth Bale in the rankings.
When it comes to endorsements, Nadal’s US$27 million is no match for Nishikori, who pockets US$33 million off the court.
Just 20-years-old and playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, the charismatic Naomi could soon find herself in a similar situation keeping company with women’s endorsement titans Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
Naomi’s stock is clearly on the rise.