US Open rivals Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori will be back in each other’s sights when they contest the Brisbane International in January.

It was announced on Thursday the Flushing Meadows finalists will contest the event, which is one of the lead-up tournaments to the Australian Open.

Cilic crushed Nishikori in a straight sets US Open final victory earlier this month to win his first grand slam.

The match-up was hailed by some commentators as a possible swansong for the dominance of the big four of men’s tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

The Queensland Tennis Centre turf is familiar to both Cilic and Nishikori, with the players on their second and fifth outings respectively.

It has proven fruitful ground for Nishikori in particular, with Japan’s rising tennis star reaching the semi-finals two years in a row.

Meanwhile, Cilic said coming to Australia with some silverware behind him would free up his playing style.

“Knowing I have this grand slam in my closet, for sure it will bring me more freedom in my game,” the world No.9 said.

“It’s definitely a very interesting part of the year to see how the players are going to do and what they have worked on (in the off-season).”

But the US Open opponents could still face some stiff competition from 17-Grand Slam champion Federer, who has also signed on to play.

The Brisbane International 2015 kicks off on January 4 and runs until January 11.