US Open Tennis 2014: Day 13 Results, Highlights and Scores Recap from New York

As if the 2014 U.S. Open wasn't unpredictable enough, Day 13 resulted in two of the biggest upsets we've seen to this point. Neither No. 1 Novak Djokovic nor No. 2 Roger Federer will be participating in the tournament's final. Instead, that privilege will belong to No. 10 Kei Nishikori and No. 14 Marin Cilic.

Without Rafael Nadal in this year's event, SportsCenter Alerts noted how long it's been since we've had a Slam final without at least one of those three men involved:

This was perhaps one of the most shocking days of tennis we've seen in a great while. As we await this year's final, let's take a look back and recap both of Saturday's semifinal matches.

Winner	Loser	Score
No. 10 Kei Nishikori	No. 1 Novak Djokovic	6-4, 1-6, 7(7)-6(4), 6-3
No. 14 Marin Cilic	No. 2 Roger Federer	6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Day 13 Recap

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (10) Kei Nishikori

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Nishikori emerged as the unlikely victor in the blazing heat on Saturday against the strongest possible opponent. Known for his solid form but tendency to suffer injuries, Nishikori appeared to be playing against both Djokovic and the elements; however, it was the No. 1 seed who would falter.

The Huffington Post noted Nishikori's remarkable feat:

In a relatively even first set, Nishikori won 73 percent of his first-serve points against Djokovic, but what was even more impressive was his ability to take advantage of the top seed's second serves—Djokovic only won three of a possible 12 points.

Djokovic looked more like himself in the second set. He cruised to an easy 6-1 win over Nishikori thanks to some brilliant serving—he won a combined 16 of 21 points on his first- and second-serve attempts.

A marathon third set ensued, as both players battled back and forth for 66 minutes. Nishikori's superior stamina began to shine, as he appeared in full control over the top seed during the tiebreak.

That trend continued in the fourth set, as unforced errors mounted for Djokovic—12 of his 35 errors came in the final set—while Nishikori remained steadfast in all aspects of his game. Just 37 minutes later, the No. 10 seed was on his way to the final.

Here's a look at Nishikori's match point, via U.S. Open Tennis:

He spoke of his performance during a press conference, via USOpen.org:

"

You know, I was ready to play, you know, these kind of players always. Especially this year I have been playing really well. I went to final in Masters once and, you know, I have been beating those top guys already. But I knew I was a little bit nervous, getting nervous, you know, first time semis here. But I think the confidence helped for today's match. I was playing really well and really aggressive, and, you know, didn't wait for the ball. Even the opponent is, you know, Novak, I was playing my tennis. Everything worked well today.

"

If Nishikori continues playing that kind of tennis in the final, he'll earn his first-ever major title.

(2) Roger Federer vs. (14) Marin Cilic

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Just when we thought we couldn't possibly be further surprised after the result of the day's first match, Cilic proved otherwise by taking down Federer in three sets.

U.S. Open Tennis tweeted the end result:

We saw a glimpse of what the hard-hitting Cilic could do in blustery conditions during his quarterfinal match against Tomas Berdych, and perhaps that proved to be the writing on the wall. The No. 14 seed duplicated his success against an even better opponent on Saturday.

Cilic's first serve averaged 122 mph—8 mph faster than Federer's—yet he remained accurate throughout the match, winning 87 percent of his first-serve points. He combined that with 13 aces and a total of 56 second-serve points won.

Not only was Cilic's serve on point during the match, but he kept himself in great position on the volley. He won 56 percent of medium rallies, 52 percent of second-serve return points and 38 percent of receiving points.

Here's a good look at one of the big factors in Cilic's victory, via U.S. Open Tennis:

"

#Cilic puts away the overhead and holds for 4-1 in the first. #Federer #usopen @Heineken_US http://t.co/g9jAFibw5k

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2014"

And that wasn't the only weapon in his arsenal on Sunday:

Cilic will need to carry that brutal overhead with him to the final against Nishikori if he's to claim his first Slam title. The final match of the U.S. Open will bring plenty of intrigue. Not only will it feature two players who were big underdogs just to get this far, but the difference of their playing styles will make for some compelling tennis to end what has been an entertaining final major of the 2014 season.