Japanese stars on rise at Open
Baseball may have to share the spotlight with tennis for a few days this week in Japan — or possibly even take a back seat in popularity.
The semifinals of the U.S. Open will have a heavy Far East flavor, with Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori both extending their stays in Flushing for at least one more match, becoming the first Japanese man and woman to reach the semifinals of the same Grand Slam.
“Hopefully many people [in Japan] are cheering in support for us and even here I saw a lot of Japanese [people] coming up for the tournament,” Nishikori said.
Nishikori, the 21st seed, exacted revenge on No. 7 Marin Cilic for their 2014 Open final, knocking off the favored Croat, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4. Before Nishikori took the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, Osaka, the 20th seed, had a far easier go of it with Lesia Tsurenko, needing just 57 minutes to take care of the Ukrainian, 6-1, 6-1.
“Big chance for her and also I’m happy for myself, too,” Nishikori said.
In 2014, Nishikori, 28, became the first man representing an Asian country to reach a major final, while the 20-year-old Osaka has made noise of her own so far in Queens, advancing to the first semifinal of her career and becoming the first Japanese woman to get that far in a Grand Slam in 22 years.
“I’m really grateful that I get a lot of Japanese press,” Osaka said. “I think it’s because of Kei.”
Osaka, whose father is Haitian and mother is Japanese, said the two only began talking recently, because she was too shy to approach him. They have hit it off, bonding over their fondness of video games.
“I just think he’s, like, a really big kid. He plays games and stuff, too,” Osaka said. “I think we’re pretty similar in that sense. Overall, he’s just really nice and positive and bubbly and stuff.”
The Open is a special place for both of them. Nishikori has had his three best major results here, while it was the first tournament Osaka got to see up close as a child. She spent her early childhood on Long Island prior to moving to Florida at the age of 8.
“It definitely means a lot for me, and I always thought if I were to win a Grand Slam the first one I’d want to win is the U.S. Open, because I have grown up here and then my grandparents can come and watch” she said.
Both players were born in Japan and later came to America, Osaka at the age of 3 and Nishikori when he was 14. But their homeland remains a big part of them. Osaka — who has dual U.S. and Japan citizenship — described going back to Japan as a “super-awesome extended vacation that I don’t want to leave.” Nishikori has said he doesn’t have a home there, because his celebrity back in Japan is so immense.
It may only increase — for each of them.