US Open Diary Day 4

© Getty ImagesKei Nishikori ousted Marin Cilic in a match lasting just under five hours.

Going The Distance: Japan’s Kei Nishikori toiled for 4 hours and 59 minutes to upset 11th-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic 5-7, 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-1 to reach the third round of the US Open for the second time in three years. The match was first on Court 13 but finished around the same time as Roger Federer completed his match, which was the third of the day on Ashe.

Nishikori, 20, has been dubbed ‘Project 45’ as Japan tennis fans hope that he can surpass the career-high ranking of No. 46, achieved by former Japanese player Shuzo Matsuoka, who made headlines of his own at the 1995 US Open when he suffered from severe cramps. Nishikori, who headed straight for an ice bath after the match, reached the fourth round here as an 18 year old in 2008.

So how did Nishikori feel after the match? "I had a headache. Of course, I played more than five hours and it was hot day."

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Roger’s Helping Hand: Perhaps it’s because he was once a ballboy himself, but Roger Federer is only too happy to help move balls from one end of the court to the other, saving ballboys’ shoulders and speeding up play at the same time. And the five-time ATP World Tour Champion likes putting the ballboys’ catching skills to the test.

“These guys catch the ball really well here at the US Open… that’s why you can play around with it a little bit," Federer said. "I don’t know if they enjoy it. I like it. They’re always ready to catch it. Seems like they’re just waiting for it.” Federer added that his assistance makes for ‘a good flow of the match, so spectators don’t have to wait so much.”

Call Me Richard: Lithuania’s former World No. 1 junior Richard Berankis is known to most tennis fans as ‘Ricardas’. But he tells ATPWorldTour.com that he prefers to be known as Richard. “There’s a special character in my own language in my name which makes my name Richard,” he said. On Thursday Berankis held a break of serve in the fifth set against World No. 15 Jurgen Melzer but finally succumbed 7-5 in the fifth. In the final game of the match Berankis fought off four match points before Melzer finally closed out the match.

We Could Shake hands, But... The custom at the end of a tennis match is for two players to shake hands at the net. If it has been a particularly emotional match, they may embrace. But a friendly head butt? That is how Janko Tipsarevic greeted Andy Roddick at the net after beating the home favourite on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night. When asked afterwards about the exchange, both had slightly different versions of how the conversation played out.

Roddick: “I just said, ‘The last time you beat me in a Grand Slam second round you lost the next match, so don't do that,’ to which he head butted me, which was fun (smiling)."

Tipsarevic: “He said, ‘Well done, man.  You played great.'  And he said, 'If you lose early, I'm going to kill you.  You beat me at Wimbledon, and now if you lose early, I'm going to freakin'  kill you.’  Yes, that's what he said.”

It was all in jest, though, as Tipsarevic explained that the two players are friendly and he has great respect for Roddick’s champion qualities. "It was nice for him to say those words after being disappointed and losing against an underdog on your stadium in front of your home crowd; that just brings up a big champion in him.”

Quote Of The Day: “I like it and smile, of course, like everybody would,” – Roger Federer about what goes through his mind when he sees replays of his between-the-legs trick shots.