US OPEN 2010: Male Breakout Player

All the players in this year's Round of 16 are in the Top 50, so it's time to pick the breakout player for this year's US Open.  When I checked the 3rd round draw, all the players not in the Top 50 were veterans or relative newbies but had success already in some form in the Slams.  There were no new names or surprise qualifiers.  However, that does not disqualify any of them from winning my award, and this year, I bestow the Male Breakout Player for the US Open 2010 to KEI NISHIKORI of Japan!

Kei already made a splash here two years ago by making the Round of 16, but due to injuries, has not really lived up to his potential.  This time, he makes a respectable showing till the 3rd round, where he lost to Albert Montanes of Spain, a current Top 20 player.  He decided to retire from that match since it came after his five setter with Cilic.  Maybe Kei has to work on the physical aspects of his game, his endurance, and his ability to handle the heat, if he really wants to go deep into the tournament.

He beat Marin Cilic in the 2nd round and Golubev in the 1st round. Below shows a video after he defeated Cilic in his 2nd round match.