Seeded 14th, he won his first ever Grand Slam event at the US Open in 2014. He defeated Roger Federer impressively in straight sets in the semi-final and 10thseed Kei Nishikori, also in straight sets, in the final. By winning the US Open, Čilić brought Croatia a second Grand Slam men's singles title after his coach Goran Ivanišević triumphed in 2001 at Wimbledon.