With his sweatshirt hood up and the midnight hour approaching, Stan Wawrinka stifled a laugh.
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Final conflict evokes killer instinct in Wawrinka, who has won 10 consecutive championship matches. However, in the past few years, Wawrinka has won two Grand Slams and become a Davis Cup champion and has won his past 10 finals.
“And he also started to get exhausted a little bit”.
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland returns a shot against Kei Nishikori of Japan during their Men’s Singles Semifinal Match on Day Twelve of the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 9, 2016 in the Queens borough of New York City. Djokovic, the best player in tennis for five years now, maintains a 19-4 margin.
The third-seeded Swiss took a while to get on track as 2014 US Open runner-up Nishikori played a near flawless opening set of the semi-final with just two errors. It was Wawrinka’s first major title, and it changed the trajectory of his career.
Their six previous matches in majors – twice here (2012-13), three times at the Australian and past year at Roland Garros – have all been dramatic affairs, with four of them extending to five sets.
Novak Djokovic has won a freakish first set against Gael Monfils in their U.S. Open semifinal.
“Because the biggest matches, it’s the end of the tournament. That’s when I started to get aggressive”.
The Swiss got the better of Andy Murray’s conqueror with a 4-6 7-5 6-4 6-2 win in stifling conditions in NY, to reach the showpiece of a Grand Slam for the third time in his career. “I knew it would be tough”, said Wawrinka, while Djokovic also highlighted that the humidity was a huge problem, stating “I think that’s all we were thinking about and feeling”.
“I think I’m gutsy to try that, you know, against the number one of the world”. He should be fresher, too, given he was the first men’s player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam final following three retirements and/or walkovers. But it’s the biggest challenge.
Wawrinka saved four break points in the seventh game of the second set to stay on serve at 4-3 and saved two more in the ninth game before levelling the match.
While many who choose to hit the backhand with one one hand on the racket struggle with the higher lopping balls, Wawrinka’s exceptional timing and power means it can be very hard to get the ball out of his comfort zone. Djokovic entered this match enjoying the easiest path to a major semifinal in the almost half-century of the Open era: Three of his first five foes either stopped playing or pulled out of the tournament entirely because of injuries.
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Wawrinka nearly went out to Britain’s Dan Evans in the third round, saving match point before scrambling through. Wawrinka, on the other hand, has battled through two straight matches with quality opponents.
“To tell myself I’m going to be in the final is something insane”, Wawrinka said.
“I am always ready when I’m happy on the court so let’s see what’s going to happen”.
Aesthetically, this is a pleasing matchup.
One of Wawrinka’s biggest weapons is his one-handed backhand.
Wawrinka said he would have to play his best tennis to beat Djokovic again.
For Wawrinka, it all goes back to that match three years ago in Melbourne.
“He was struggling with some injury problems before the tournament, so it helped him to be a little bit better, but also it didn’t give him so much match time”.
“Is not academic, but I try to win”.
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Before the men’s final on Monday morning (AEST), Karolina Pliskova and Angelique Kerber will contest the women’s final this morning, with Kerber the favourite to win her second Grand Slam title.
