NEW YORK – On the men's side, the first half of the U.S. Open was fairly routine. The Americans lost, the top seeds advanced. Only two Top 20 seeds didn't make it to the fourth round, while the women's draw was overflowing with upsets. The second week, however, unfolded quite differently. The women's No. 1, Serena Williams, won her 18th Grand Slam title. And when the men's tournament ended on Monday night, it was 14th seed Marin Cilic taking home the trophy with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over No. 10 Kei Nishikori.As this dream became reality, Cilic, 25, fell to the ground and held his hands together, looking up to the sky. Moments later, he looked to the stands, seemingly stunned. He shook Nishikori's hand at the net, then ran to the stands to his player's box. Compared to the veteran champions, he seemed unsure what to do once he sat back in his chair. There, he picked up his phone and tried to make a call.The win was the culmination of a surprising second week. The women's draw is known for upsets. The men's though, rarely sees so many in one fortnight. Either Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, or Rafeal Nadal (or two of the three) have played in every Grand Slam final since the 2005 Australian Open. One of those three won all but one of those titles, too, until Stan Wawrinka broke through at this year's Australian Open. But this year, after 38 slams, came a new chapter.First, on one side, Nishikori knocked out 5th seed Milos Raonic in the third round marathon. Then came another five-set upset over 3rd seed Stan Wawrinka. Surely, everyone though, he'd meet his match in No. 1 Novak Djokovic, but Nishikori had other plans. He knocked out the top seed in four sets, becoming the first Japanese man to ever advance to a Grand Slam final. Marin Cilic of Croatia serves to Kei Nishikori of Japan during their US Open men's singles final …On the other side, Cilic faced his first true test in the quarterfinals, where he needed five sets to knock out No. 6 Tomas Berdych. Then came his defining moment: Cilic took down the man who has won more Grand Slam titles than any other in history, the once-untouchable Federer. Like Nishikori, Cilic looked like the more experienced player in his semifinal match, pulling off a straight-set win over the legend. And so, the stage was set for a U.S. Open final featuring two first-time Slam finalists.Both had won in commanding fashion, leaving everyone ready for a showdown. Instead, Cilic tore through 24-year-old Nishikori. He won 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. The last time that a Croat took home the title was in 2001, when Cilic's coach, Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon."It was a really fun two weeks here," said Cilic immediately after the win. "I hope I can be coming back next year.""Everything I was working for and dreaming, it came true today."

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