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A20    SPORTS
               Thursday 6 sepTember 2018
            Nishikori outlasts Cilic, joins Osaka in U.S. Open semifinals




            By BRIAN MAHONEY             turning  from  a  wrist  injury
             AP Sports Writer            that forced him to miss the
            NEW YORK (AP) — Kei Nishi-   U.S. Open last year and will
            kori  rallied  to  outlast  Marin  play either No. 6 seed No-
            Cilic on Wednesday at the  vak  Djokovic  or  unseeded
            U.S. Open, giving Japan a  John Millman on Friday.
            men's  and  women's  semi-   "I wish I don't go to five sets
            finalist  at  the  same  Grand  every time," Nishikori said.
            Slam  for  the  first  time,  ac-  Osaka had it much easier,
            cording to the ATP Tour.     continuing  what's  been
            Nishikori  won  the  rematch  a  largely  dominant  run
            of the 2014 final with a 2-6,  through  the  draw  by  win-
            6-4, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 victory  ning in just 57 minutes, the
            in  a  match  that  lasted  4  third time in her five match-
            hours, 8 minutes.            es she didn't even have to
            In  the  match  before  Nishi-  play an hour.
            kori's, Naomi Osaka moved  The  No.  20  seed  moved
            into  her  first  Grand  Slam  from  Japan  to  New  York
            semifinal  by  routing  Lesia  at age 3, and her deepest
            Tsurenko 6-1, 6-1.           major run is coming at the
            Only  once  in  the  profes-  same  tournament  she  first
            sional  era  that  began  in  visited as a child.
            1968  had  Japan  had  a  "Well,  it  definitely  means
            men's and women's player  a  lot  for  me,  and  I  always
            in  the  quarterfinals  at  the  thought  if  I  were  to  win  a
            same  tournament.  That  Grand Slam, the first one I'd    Naomi Osaka, of Japan, returns a shot to Lesia Tsurenko, of Ukraine, during the quarterfinals of the
            was at Wimbledon in 1995,  want to win is the US Open,    U.S. Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, in New York.
            and  both  Shuzo  Matsuoka  because  I  have  grown  up                                                                         Associated Press
            and Kimiko Date lost in that  here  and,  like,  then  my
            round.                       grandparents  can  come  Osaka  had  consecutive  often failing to make Osaka  Tsurenko said. "I didn't want
            The  seventh-seeded  Cilic  and  watch,"  she  said.  "I  50-minute  matches  earlier  do anything special to win  to show this kind of game in
            won the 2014 final in straight  think  it  would  be  really  in  the  tournament,  includ-  a point and finishing with 31  front of this big crowd, but
            sets for his only career ma-  cool."                      ing  a  6-0,  6-0  thrashing  of  unforced errors.        unfortunately  I'm  just  not
            jor  title.  Nishikori  said  this  She raced to a 3-0 lead in  Aliaksandra  Sasnovich  in  "I  hate  matches  like  this,"  able to play now."q
            week that he was nervous  the  first  set  and  then  4-0  the third round.
            once  that  match  began,  in  the  second  against  the  She was finally tested in the
            but  this  one  was  nothing  shaky  Tsurenko,  who  fin-  round  of  16,  edging  past   Former world half
            like that day.               ished  with  more  unforced  No.  26  Aryna  Sabalenka
                                                                      than  2  hours,  but  she  was  marathon champion
            Instead,  it  resembled  their  errors than points in her first  6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in a little more
            2010  second-round  match  major quarterfinal.
            in Flushing Meadows, when  Osaka will face either 14th-   back  in  complete  control
            Nishikori rallied to win in five  seeded  Madison  Keys  or  against  Tsurenko,  winning   Paul Koech dies at 49
            sets in 4:59, the fifth-longest  No. 30 Carla Suarez Navar-  20 of 22 points (91 percent)
            men's  singles  match  by  ro in the first major semifinal  on her first serve.        NAIROBI,  Kenya  (AP)  —  fastest 10,000 in history, fin-
            time in U.S. Open history.   appearance  for  a  Japa-    Tsurenko  labored  in  the   Paul Koech, a former world  ishing  second  behind  Ter-
            Each man blew chances to  nese  woman  since  Date  heat  during  her  fourth-         half  marathon  champion  gat as his friend broke the
            gain  control  and  perhaps  reached  the  final  four  at  round victory over Marketa   and  long-time  teammate  world record in the event.
            have a much quicker end-     Wimbledon in 1996.           Vondrousova,  having  her    of  Kenyan  great  Paul  Ter-  The IAAF said it was "deep-
            ing  to  a  match  that  had  The  20-year-old  said  she  temperature  and  blood     gat, has died.               ly  saddened"  to  hear  of
            wild swings of momentum.     was  nervous,  claiming  to  checked during a medical     He was 49.                   Koech's death.
            Cilic appeared to be coast-  be  "freaking  out  inside"  —  timeout  in  the  first  set  and   The Kenyan track and field  Koech  was  a  major  in  the
            ing after taking the first set  though  it  certainly  never  nearly  quitting  when  she   federation  said  Wednes-  Kenyan armed forces and
            and opening a 4-2 lead in  showed.                        trailed early in the second.   day that Koech died Mon-   a member of the Athletics
            the  second.  The  Croatian  "Just  like  my  entire  body  She  recovered  to  win  in   day after a short illness. The  Kenya  executive  commit-
            then  had  the  lead  in  the  was  shaking,  so  I'm  really  three  sets,  with  her  oppo-  federation  did  not  release  tee at the time of his death.
            third-set  tiebreaker  until  glad I was able to play well  nent  accusing  her  of  act-  any more details.        Tergat,  now  head  of  the
            double-faulting on consec-   today," she said.            ing after the match.         "Paul  was  a  great  track,  Kenyan  Olympic  commit-
            utive serves.                She  won  59  points  to  just  It  was  another  hot  after-  cross-country  and  road-  tee, said Koech was highly
            After  Cilic  evened  the  28 for the unseeded Ukrai-     noon    Wednesday,    with   racing  athlete,"  Athletics  patriotic and hard working.
            match by taking the fourth  nian, who knocked off No.  temperatures  in  the  high-    Kenya said.                  "It's beyond belief he is no
            following   a    10-minute  2  seed  Caroline  Wozniacki  80s  (30s  Celsius)  but  feel-  Koech  won  the  world  half  longer with us," Tergat said.
            break for heat, Nishikori was  in the second round.       ing some 10 degrees hotter   marathon championship in  "This was a very good friend
            on  the  verge  with  running  But  Tsurenko  said  she  was  with the humidity.       Zurich in 1998. At the 1996  of  mine  and  not  only  did
            away with the fifth, holding  sick  Wednesday,  waking  Tsurenko     didn't   appear   Atlanta  Olympics,  he  fin-  we  represent  the  country
            a break point for a 5-1 lead.  up  with  a  sore  throat  and  bothered  by  the  condi-  ished sixth in the 10,000 me-  together  but  he  believed
            Instead, Cilic held and then  not breathing well.         tions, but whether it was her   ters and the following year  entirely in national duty.
            broke Nishikori on his way to  "Unfortunately  during  this  health or just first-time jitters,   was  fourth  at  the  world  "He  was  someone  who
            evening the set at 4-all, but  tournament I had many is-  she was off from the minute   championships.     Tergat  was  a  refined  officer.  He
            then Nishikori took the final  sues  with  my  health,  and  she  stepped  onto  Arthur   won silver in both of those  was firm, never believed in
            two games.                   today was not my day ob-     Ashe Stadium.                races.                       any short cuts ... this is very
            The No. 21 seed continued  viously.  I  was  not  feeling  She  pushed  some  balls  a   In 1997, Koech ran the third-
            his  strong  season  after  re-  well," she said.         few feet past the baseline,                               painful."q
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