www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

US EUROPE AFRICA ASIA 中文
Sports / Tennis

Despite loss, Japanese fans proud of Nishikori

(Agenices) Updated: 2014-09-09 15:14

Despite loss, Japanese fans proud of Nishikori

Employees of Japanese instant-noodle maker Nissin Foods Holdings, which sponsors Kei Nishikori of Japan, react as they watch the final of the US Open tennis tournament match between Nishikori and Marin Cilic of Croatia during a public viewing event at the company in Tokyo, Sept 9, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

MATSUE, Japan - While Japanese fans were understandably disappointed after Kei Nishikori missed out on a US Open title, his unprecedented run to the final will do much to boost his career and the sport's popularity in a country where baseball and soccer dominate headlines.

In Nishikori's home town of Matsue, over 800 fans packed into a convention hall to cheer on their hero at a standing-room only public viewing event. So many showed up that organizers had to turn people away once the match started at 6:10 am Tuesday morning local time.

Giant banners emblazoned with messages of encouragement from fans hung on the walls of the conventional hall. "Good Luck Kei Nishikori, the Star of Matsue," read one message.

The anticipation of seeing the first Japanese win a Grand Slam quickly dissipated, though, when Nishikori got off to a slow start before eventually falling 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to Croatia's Marin Cilic.

"He gave it his best shot, but the opponent's serve was just too strong," said university student Nozomi Maruyama. "But Nishikori really impressed us with his determination and I think this will make a lasting impression and make tennis more popular in Japan. He's only 24 so he has a bright future ahead of him."

As with the rest of Japan, Matsue - a quiet city of just over 200,000 - was captivated by Nishikori's success. The crowds for the public viewing events grew in size with each win.

But the convention hall fell silent when Nishikori lost the final game of the second set to give Cilic a 6-3, 6-3 lead. With Nishikori trailing 6-3, 6-3, 3-1, the crowd started to thin as people headed for the exits with plenty of time to be at their desks for the start of the work day.

Still, residents said the buzz created by Nishikori's run was good for local business.

"I hope it has brought some attention to the region," said office worker Haruyuki Okada. "We are a long way from Tokyo so people tend to forget us here."

Despite the one-sided loss, many admired Nishikori's fighting spirit.

"As a Japanese, he is smaller than many other western rivals and that alone is a major obstacle," said 67-year-old business consultant Masatoshi Hinoshita, who watched at a Tokyo bar. "And yet, Nishikori went overseas alone to compete against those big guys. His challenge simply makes us want to be his cheerleaders."

Nishikori's first coach, Masaki Kashiwai, watched along with the other locals at the Matsue convention hall.

"Celic rode the momentum of beating (Roger) Federer and was unstoppable," Kashiwai said. "I thought there for a second in the third set Kei had a comeback in him, but it wasn't to be. Still, he did a great job to reach the final and this is just the beginning for him."

Most Popular
What's Hot
Highlights
Special
...
主站蜘蛛池模板: 暖暖在线精品日本中文 | 91天堂网| 手机在线看a | 亚洲一级在线 | 欧美精品1 | 国产成人理在线观看视频 | 六月丁香久久丫 | www.a级片| 色情毛片 | 国产伦精品一区二区三区 | 中国美女黄色一级片 | a黄色毛片 | 亚洲精品一区国产二区 | 国内精品91最新在线观看 | 黄网站色成年小说系列 | 人与禽的免费一级毛片 | 手机看片77v1| 美女黄影院| 91久久精品一区二区三区 | 美女脱了内裤张开腿让男人桶网站 | 日本一道免费一区二区三区 | 男人的天堂在线观看免费 | 国模在线播放 | 玖玖影院在线观看 | 福利视频美女国产精品 | 国产三区视频在线观看 | 91精品一区二区综合在线 | jizjiz日本 | 1024国产欧美日韩精品 | 免费一级美国片在线观看 | 九九综合 | 欧美精品国产精品 | 日本一线一区二区三区免费视频 | 91热播| 久久久影院亚洲精品 | 亚洲自拍在线观看 | 亚洲成人在线视频播放 | 国产在线精品一区二区不卡 | 免费观看一级欧美在线视频 | 欧美成人在线免费观看 | 久久免费精彩视频 |