Japanese fans responded with groans and tears when Kei Nishikori was beaten in the final of the US Open on Monday, but took some consolation from the fact he became the first Japanese player to reach a grand slam singles final.

The Croat Marin Cilic swept past Nishikori in a match that got many Japanese out of bed early yesterday morning to cheer for Nishikori before heading out to work and school. Bleary-eyed fans packed into an event viewing space in the trendy Shibuya area of downtown Tokyo in the rainy dawn to watch the match, chanting "Kei, Kei, Kei" and clapping whenever Nishikori won a point. "It was really too bad he ended up losing," said Kazuya Hirata, 46. "But you can say that history was made."

Nishikori's fairytale run to the final included two gruelling five-set wins over Wimbledon semi-finalist Milos Raonic, Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka and a shock victory over world No.1 Novak Djokovic but the effort took its toll in the final.

"Cilic was just too incredible, that's all you can say," said Hirotsugu Harada, 22. "But it was a proud sight to have Nishikori out there as a representative of Japan."

Tennis competes for attention in Japan with baseball, soccer and golf, and even with Nishikori in the final there was none of the hysteria that accompanied figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu's gold medal winning performance at this year's Winter Olympics in Sochi.

But Nishikori, 24, still was front page news on the country's newspapers while trains into the centre of Tokyo were emptier than usual, with many riders apparently delaying their commute to watch.

"You know, I'm disappointed, but it was a good two weeks," Nishikori said. "I learned from these two weeks. I didn't expect nothing coming here.

"Before I was injured and [had] little practice," he added, referring to a cyst he had removed from his foot that threatened to rule him out. "I showed my potential. I can beat anybody now. If I can keep training hard and practise hard, I think I have more chances coming up."