Kei Nishikori crashed out of the U.S. Open on Friday, losing his third-round match against Australia's Alex de Minaur.
The seventh-seeded Nishikori, still searching for his maiden Grand Slam title, suffered a 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 defeat to world No. 38 de Minaur in the year's final major.
"He was playing great defense and I ended up making many errors. I think that is the main reason why I lost," said Nishikori, ranked No. 7 in the world.