Japan’s Rei Sakamoto beats Kei Nishikori to earn US Open spot

Rei Sakamoto played his way into the U.S. Open - but only by taking the spot that Kei Nishikori, Japan’s greatest men’s tennis star, hoped to earn for one last Grand Slam appearance.

In a changing-of-the-guard match, Sakamoto beat Nishikori 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Friday in the final round of qualifying to earn a place in the main draw. “Not happy to lose today, but I’m happy for Rei,” Nishikori said. “He’s the next Japanese top player.” The 20-year-old Sakamoto, like many other players from Japan, considers Nishikori his hero. He was 8 years old and remembers when Nishikori reached the 2014 U.S. Open final, becoming the first Asian man to get that far in a Grand Slam tournament. “I honestly grew up watching him play and he was my idol for my whole life,” Sakamoto said, “and it’s also a pity to see his last season.” Sakamoto is typical of many tennis players and doesn’t like to look at his draw ahead of time to see who he might play.