Asian trailblazer Nishikori
Nov 3 (Reuters) - Japan's Kei Nishikori will become the first Asian to compete in the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, which begins on Sunday.
The following is a list of milestones achieved by the 24-year-old trailblazer in 2014.
* Became first Asian player to reach the final of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, finishing runner-up in Madrid to Rafa Nadal after retiring with a back injury
* Broke Top 10 by climbing to ninth in the world on May 12, equalling the highest ever ranking achieved by an Asian man (Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan)
* Became first Asian man to reach a grand slam singles final at the U.S. Open, where he was beaten by Marin Cilic
* His four ATP World Tour titles this season is the most by an Asian player.
* Achieved the highest ever ranking by an Asian man when he climbed to sixth in October
* Has a 9-5 record v Top 10 opponents this season (third-most Top 10 wins in 2014 behind Djokovic-15, Federer-13)
* Recorded most match wins by an Asian on ATP World Tour in past 30 years with 52 victories so far in 2014
* He will become first Asian to finish in Top 10 in history of ATP Rankings (since its inception in 1973) (Compiled by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Rex Gowar)
