Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, left, greets Gael Monfils, of France, after winning their semifinal match of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 9, 2016, in NY.
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Stan Wawrinka has set up a US Open final meeting with Novak Djokovic after beating Kei Nishikori.
Swiss Stan Wawrinka has set up a duel with World Number One, Novak Djokovic in the US Open Final on Sunday.
Nishikori came into Friday’s match with an eye-popping 5-0 record against top-10 players at the U.S. Open, the only Grand Slam at which he has made the semis.
But the former French and Australian Open champion reeled off another three games in a row to clinch victory.
Djokovic, who played before Wawrinka’s match with Nishikori, was taken to four sets by Frenchman Gael Monfils in one of the stranger matches of the tournament.
That premeditated “great strategy” of hoping to lull the No. 1 seed and defending champion into complacency and mistakes, as Monfils described it later, worked briefly, yet did not prevent a two-set deficit.
Monfils was furious that he had been branded as unprofessional by McEnroe who was commentating for American television.
Quickly down 5-0 in the first set, Monfils decided it was time for a drastic change of plans.
Monfils had two break points at 5-3 to get the set back on serve, but Djokovic saved them to finally close it out.
“At times in decisive, tense moments, we had many exchanges form the baseline”, Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
“He started believing in himself”.
“I’m sorry if you think I’m unprofessional, but I guess I’m working, I’m learning”, Monfils said.
“Specifically, before this Grand Slam, there were things that were happening with my health and my physical state that were, you know, making me a little bit skeptical about how the thing was going to go during the tournament”, he said.
“I watch the finals here so many times – Roger, Novak, Rafa (Nadal) – they are incredible champions and to be play against Novak, a year ago at the French, we play so many matches at a grand slam so to play him is something special”.
Wawrinka’s arduous path to the title match included saving a match point in the third round.
September 10, 2016: Caribbean-roots, French-born tennis pro, Gael Monfils, fought hard yesterday – through hot and humid conditions and against the world’s number one in the semi-finals of the 2016 U.S. Open that he managed to reach again for only a second time.
He’s spent 17 hours and 54 minutes on court.
The sixth-seeded Nishikori rallied to upset Andy Murray in five sets Wednesday, and he picked up where he left off at the start of his semifinal.
He broke Wawrinka again to open the second, but the Swiss was gradually beginning to find his range and regained the break. He’s 2-0 all-time in Grand Slam finals.
After Wawrinka broke back by capping a 12-stroke exchange with a backhand victor drizzled with topspin and clocking at 93mph off the ground, the Swiss opened the following game with a 108mph ace and went on to consolidate the break with a love hold. “If I would get to the net he would go for the passing shot and hit some impossible gets and balls”, Djokovic said.
“Definitely I try to get in his head, try to create something new for him”, explained Monfils. A player who didn’t make his first Grand Slam semifinal until age 28 will now seek his third major title in as many years.
Conditions were only slightly better in the Wawrinka-Kei Nishikori semifinal later in the day, still oppressively humid and featuring a rain delay in the third set. I watched the final so many times here, Roger, Novak, Rafa, they are wonderful champions.
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Nishikori had reached the final in NY in 2014 where he lost to Marin Cilic.
