After Kei Nishikori became the first Asian male to advance to a Grand Slam final on Saturday in New York, enterprises ranging from satellite broadcaster Wowow Inc. to apparel brand Uniqlo rejoiced at what they happily described as an "unprecedented" surge in subscriptions and sales of related merchandise.
As the 24-year-old Nishikori continued to advance in the U.S. Open championships, the broadcaster has experienced a spike in subscriptions at a pace like never before, spokeswoman Aya Matake said Monday.
The number of inquiries from possible subscribers over the past week is about 10 times higher than that of preceding years, she said, accelerated by Nishikori's surprising defeat on Sept. 2nd of fifth-seeded Milos Raonic that made him the first Japanese male in 92 years to reach a U.S. Open quarterfinal.