■This is the tennis we've been waiting for from Kei Nishikori. In the first round, he faced Cilic, who completely defeated him in the 2014 US Open finals. When the match was decided, Nishikori said, "We're almost the same generation, and we've been through the same situation (long-term absence due to injury), so I think I'll be really motivated." True to his words, he played three sets with all his might. The result was the opposite of the US Open 10 years ago, with Nishikori winning.

■Marin Cilic, who won the previous week's tournament and was in good form and started hitting low, powerful shots from the beginning. “I started too cautiously," Nishikori said, and the game continued to be Cilic’s pace. However, the quality of his returns was high. Whether forehand or backhand, he accurately placed his cross court shot in the corners, and sometimes added some mean angled shots. "He didn't let me step in, so I had to be a little defensive, but I was able to hit angles and deep balls quite well." This was the reason he won the first set.

■Although he lost the second set, Nishikori's opportunities to attack increased in the third set. The trigger was his favorite backhand. His shot straight against his opponent's low, high-speed backhand and the courageous down-the-line shot became an inspiring one. "I think I was able to scare my opponent," said Nishikori. Instead from receding from the baseline, he took the opportunities to attack early on. In the end, Nishikori had the show to himself.

■In the Davis Cup match between Japan and Colombia, Nishikori faced a 237 ranked player, but despite his complete victory, he said, "I couldn't play the way I wanted to." Now the reason for his low self-evaluation makes sense. Nishikori is a player who can play this well. The stronger the opponent, the better the quality of his play. He showed his monstrous side to the packed Ariake Colosseum.