In her match against Victoria Azarenka in the US Open, she took part in one of the matches of the year, although Azarenka was the one who prevailed. But the 31-year-old started to look more like a two-time major victor in his quarterfinal victory over 2009 champ Juan Martin del Potro.
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The Serb, however, would quickly get back into rhythm, clinching the first set and then going on to demolish Mofils in second.
The Serb will face the victor of the overnight semi-final between Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka.
In her first foray into doubles during the Australian Open earlier this year, she reached the quarterfinals in women’s doubles and the finals in mixed doubles. He reached his lone major title match in 2014 at Flushing Meadows, losing to fellow first-time finalist Marin Cilic.
Wawrinka was up a break in that set, but Nishikori broke right before the rain delay.
Nevertheless, Monfils lost 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Ahead by 5-1, he failed to convert on three set points, double-faulting for a Monfils break.
Djokovic has dominated the head to head between these two, winning the last 12 meetings.
World number one and defending champion Djokovic prevailed 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in a weird semi-final that saw 10th-seeded Monfils roundly booed and accused of not trying. Djokovic broke Monfils in the fourth game of the fourth set before coasting to a win.
Monfils said: “At the beginning I think Novak has been good, I didn’t serve great, it was very quick 5-0 and I got to change a little bit”. Nope. In a blink, Monfils suddenly came to life, playing his athletic best.
Monfils was roundly jeered, particularly during the second set, for an apparent lack of effort. He let Nishikori know he knew he was fading by loudly celebrating big shots or service breaks.
“And to do that is because you’re in a great shape”. He beat me in Toronto and I beat him in Australia.
“He also started to get exhausted a little bit and that’s when I started to get my game, to be aggressive”.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori notched one of the biggest wins of the year’s grand slam with his five-set upset of world number two Andy Murray in the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open but that four-hour victory took its toll on him on Friday.
Djokovic’s fortunes took a nosedive, first as he called for treatment to his left shoulder and then as three break-back points slipped by, and with them the set, prompting him to rip his shirt in frustration.
To defeat Frenchman Gael Monfils in the US Open semifinals, Djokovic had to endure a player whose moods and methods can change from one game to another.
“He seems more focused at this time of his career and I am definitely expecting a tough battle”.
For quite a while, Novak Djokovic’s opponent in the U.S. Open semifinals, Gael Monfils, looked as if he didn’t want to win – or even be there at all.
A medical timeout for Monfils kept Djokovic waiting and the heat took its toll on both players, but there was to be no unlikely comeback as last year’s champion took a 3-1 lead and responded from being broken straight back to reach a seventh final in NY. His nine sets and 84 games completed are the fewest at this stage at any major in the Open era that featured a 128 draw and only best-of-five matches.
That also sounds like bad news for the 10th-seeded Monfils, who has lost all 12 career matchups against Djokovic. Without the court time to prove the Serb is over his injury and improving on form from a knockout at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games, Monfils will fancy his chances. Monfils resorted to the radical approach of trying to drag Djokovic’s level down pushing no-pace balls short in the court aiming to gunk up the gears in his opponent’s well-oiled baseline game.
Monfils had two break points at 5-3 to get the set back on serve, but Djokovic saved them to finally close it out.
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“When I try to play original tennis, that’s where he kills me”.
