Japanese's Rei Sakamoto earns a US Open spot, but beats his retiring hero Kei Nishikori to do it

NEW YORK (AP) — 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.

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.”

Nishikori, 36, has battled injuries in recent years and has said this will be his final season. No longer ranked high enough for a guaranteed spot in the main draw, he was given a wild card by the U.S. Tennis Association into the qualifying tournament.

He won two matches, but needed one more to lock up his spot. With fans chanting his name late in the second set, Nishikori was outplayed by Sakamoto, who pounded 19 aces, the last to end it after Nishikori had saved two match points.

“Not happy to lose today, but I’m happy for Rei,” Nishikori said. “He’s the next Japanese top player.”

Afterward, Nishikori was presented with a framed portrait of himself in action by U.S. Open officials. Sakamoto helped hold it up for a picture together.

It was a big moment for Sakamoto, but also a bittersweet one.

“I think a lot of people, like most of the people still follow tennis because of him,” Sakamoto said. “So he’s a superstar and he did a lot to Japanese tennis I think.”

See AP’s full tennis coverage here