World No. 7 and 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori clinched the 2016 Emirates US Open Series men’s title on Thursday, following Viktor Troicki’s victory over Fernando Verdasco in the quarter-finals of the Winston-Salem Open. Nishikori will now attempt to to claim the largest payout in tennis history at the US Open – $4.5 million; $3.5 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open as Emirates Airline US Open Series champion.
Nishikori finishes the Bonus Challenge with 85 points – 70 for reaching the Rogers Cup final in Toronto and 15 for advancing to the Round of 16 at the Western Southern Open in Cincinnati. Verdasco was the only remaining player in Winston-Salem who could have overtaken him in the final standings.
Grigor Dimitrov finishes second in the men’s Bonus Challenge, while 2014 Emirates Airline US Open Series men’s champion Milos Raonic finishes third. Both players tied with 70 points; Dimitrov finishes second based on tie-breaks, having won seven matches in the series this summer, as opposed to Raonic’s five. The second and third-placed finishers will compete for US Open bonus payouts of $500,000 and $250,000, respectively.
Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic each earned 100 points for their Rogers Cup and Western Southern Open victories, respectively. Players must earn points in two or more Emirates Airline US Open Series events to be eligible for the final Bonus Challenge standings and US Open bonus prize money.
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