Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori is the first Japanese tennis player to reach the final. Getty Images

Kei Nishikori will take on Marin Cilic in the finals of the 2014 US Open Men's Singles at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.

Where to Watch Live

The match starts at 9.30pm BST. Live coverage is on Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports 3 HD. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

We will have a new Grand Slam champion come the end of the 2014 US Open men's singles final on Monday. The second time it's happening this season, following Stan Wawrinka's victory at the Australian Open.

This is the first time since the Australian Open in 2005 that a Grand Slam final does not involve one of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.

The final lineup of Nishikori and Cilic is the most unexpected result, but it should make for an entertaining match with both players going all out to win their first Grand Slam title. Such opportunities do not come around too often, as the statistics suggest.

The Japanese no. 10 seed came through to the final with a gutsy performance over world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, who was the favourite to lift the trophy at Flushing Meadows. Nishikori became the first Asian-born man to reach a Grand Slam final.

Marin Cilic
Marin Cilic Getty

Meanwhile, the 14<sup>th seed Cilic came through his semi-final match against 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer with relative ease compared to his final opponent. Cilic had never beaten the Swiss maestro in all their previous meetings, but he blew Federer away with his big booming serves and clinched the match in three sets.

Both the players will come into this match high on confidence after making their way to the final by beating the top two seeds of the tournament.

Betting Odds (888Sport.com)

  • Kei Nishikori to win: 13/16
  • Marin Cilic to win: 42/41

Head-To-Head

Nishikori leads Cilic 5-2 in overall meetings. The pair has met twice in Grand Slam events, both were at the US Open, and they are tied with one win apiece.

US Open History

This is the third time the Japanese player is meeting the Croat in the US Open and they are tied with one win each.