He’ll seek his third major championship Sunday against the top-ranked Djokovic, who he defeated at Roland Garros in 2015.
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It could be said that someone finally made Novak Djokovic sweat in this year’s U.S. Open. He’s done better at the US Open and he’s had better wins this year, including a victory over Stan in Canada.
They seemed to be on course for a third meeting in the final at Flushing Meadows, but Pliskova eliminated Williams in the semifinals, after beating her sister, Venus, in the fourth round. He came back to win the third set with some inspired play, using his elite speed to thwart Djokovic’s drop shots and frustrate the Serbian superstar. Novak held on and then broke Monfils to wrap up the game, the set, and the match.
No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka and No. 6 Kei Nishikori have split the opening two sets of their U.S. Open semifinal.
And I just feel for some reason that’s going to be Kei, who has been consistently sharper this summer. Monfils was serving to stay in the set and the world number one found himself with a set point for a bagel.
Djokovic entered Friday having enjoyed the easiest path to a major semifinal in the almost half-century of the Open era: Three of his first five foes pulled out of because of injuries. Nishikori was the U.S. Open runner-up in 2014.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs.
“I had to change”, Monfils said later from the air-conditioned comfort of an interview room, in what had to be a welcome change from the sweltering 90-plus degree heat and brutal humidity he played through on the court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I was really trying to [stay] in the moment, ” Kerber said, “trying to play my game, being aggressive”. I have nothing personal [with] him, so I’m very sad to learn that such a legend criticise me, because at the end what I can say to John is ‘I want to be the best.
“I’m competing, you know”. Monfils even repeatedly tried to serve and volley, a style he nearly never employs, and erred often.
As for betting on this match we see that Monfils only holds 71.8% of the time on outdoor hard courts against Djokovic, while the Serb holds 87.4% of the time against the Frenchman in their career series so far. He appeared to be acting like he was not interested, and suddenly whip big shots. “He was just too good”, Monfils said of Djokovic.
In a odd match that didn’t reach the heights expected of a grand slam semi, the world No. 1 eventually did enough to best the Frenchman in four sets 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-2 and book his place in the final where he’ll play either Stanislas Wawrinka or Kei Nishikori.
And after a three-set victory in the fourth round, Djokovic only needed to play two sets plus one point in the quarterfinals before Jo-Wilfried Tsonga called it a night because of a problem with his left knee.
Gael Monfils insisted his weird “rope-a-dope” tactics in his US Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic were deliberate as the eccentric Frenchman blasted accusations of not trying.
Miscue after miscue started coming from Djokovic, and Monfils won three games in a row, before eventually dropping a set for the first time all tournament.
Djokovic ripped his white shirt off as he dropped the third set.
Djokovic beat 10th seed Gael Monfils 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-2 in NY, with the Frenchman adopting unusual tactics to try and counter the world number one.
A jittery Monfils poked successive double faults to donate the break and a 2-0 lead. And then just that service game on 5-1, that’s when it started. Behind 5-2 in the third against Monfils, Djokovic got his left shoulder massaged.
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Monfils staved off three Djokovic break points in the fourth set’s second game, then got a backhand victor that barely hopped over the net – prompting Monfils to bend and kiss the top of the net – and the show was on. The French player played quite strangely and McEnroe did not like it. ‘He is unprofessional, this is one the craziest match I’ve ever seen, ‘ he went on to say.
