US Open final is set after Stan Wawrinka dumps Kei Nishikori

FRIDAY’S WEATHER Mix of sun and clouds, hot and humid.

In head-to-head play, Djokovic leads Wawrinka 19-3.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic reached his seventh final at the U.S. Open with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over the 10th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils here on Friday.

“He’s very entertaining to watch”, said Djokovic, who will play either Swiss third seed Stan Wawrinka or sixth-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori in Sunday’s final. And, apart from Monfils’ third-set flurry, Djokovic’s biggest problem, ultimately, was the squandering of 12 break-point opportunities during the 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory.

Down 2-5, Djokovic took massage treatment on his left shoulder during the changeover then staved off a set point in odd four drop shot game.

The No. 4-seeded Murray and Soares, who won the Australian Open in January, are the first winners of multiple major men’s doubles titles in a season since Bob and Mike Bryan won three in 2013.

Not quite. The fourth set did provide further intrigue, and Djokovic looked vulnerable at times as his shoulder trouble inhibited his service action.

Kerber cruised through the Olympic tennis tournament in Rio, advancing to the gold-medal match without dropping a single set. “The guy is killing me, you know”. And that’s when I started to put my game to be aggressive. The world’s No. 2 player battled hard but lost to the top-ranked Serena Williams 7-5, 6-3.

Oddly, Monfils began shoveling back no-pace, one-handed chip backhands after his first hold.

The trainer worked on Djokovic’s serving shoulder; he hit just one ace – in the first set – and seven double faults.

Monfils upped his effort levels slightly in the second but not his performance and he hobbled into the changeover, after Djokovic had sealed the set 6-2.

The ultimate outcome was only briefly in the balance, though.

That’s why Gael Monfils’ press conference after his loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the US Open on Saturday (AEST) was so engaging.

Never more so than on this muggy afternoon, with the temperature at 90 degrees and the humidity above 50 percent.

“First question is, like, ‘You’re not competing?'”.

In a weird first set, Djokovic raced to a 5-0 lead in just 15 minutes where his only challenge came from the stadium TV lights which he claimed were distracting. During points, Monfils would hit slices or make halfhearted, half-swinging strokes, then occasionally wallop a 100 miles per hour passing shot.

McEnroe said: “Monfils is bordering on unprofessional”.

Somehow, the tactic was effective for a bit. I was completely caught off guard when he just stood there and chipped the ball back and didn’t do much. Indeed, he had played only nine full sets before facing Monfils, who at times during the first two sets seemed to be impersonating a walkover all by himself.

“It was unusual, because maybe they (the crowd) will listen to commentary and hear I’m unprofessional, I’m poor, whatever”, the Frenchman said.

“It’s some sort of rope-a-dope tactic that’s working”, ESPN’s Brad Gilbert said on air. I’m sorry if you think I’m unprofessional.

Djokovic’s 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-2 victory on a sweltering, humid day in NY that left both players hunched over in the fourth set featured the world No. 1 playing a point with a ripped shirt and showman Monfils getting booed – perhaps a first in his career – for his antics. However, Wawrinka’s biggest win as a professional came over Djokovic previous year in the French Open final, and Wawrinka has won his past 10 finals in a row.

“It’s not easy when you have to play number two, number three, and, you know, Novak Djokovic was waiting in the finals”.

In the second set, Monfils lost five consecutive games, and limped afterward. All over but the shouting, right? He shoveled a forehand pass to break back for 2-all the crowd erupted as Monfils raised a clenched fist toward his box.

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Monfils won five consecutive games, including one spectacular point in which he took a long run to get to a short ball, then reversed direction for a leaping volley victor. Behind 5-2 in the third against Monfils, Djokovic got his left shoulder massaged.