The men’s semifinals at the US Open will be a case of the grand slam champions against those who are still chasing their dream of winning a major title.
Top seed Novak Djokovic will play his 10th consecutive semifinal in New York against French talent Gael Monfils in what will be their 13th meeting on the ATP Tour. The journey to the last four have been a somewhat different experience for the world No.1 compared to Monfils. Djokovic has spent just six hours and 25 minutes on the court following a trio of retirements by his opponents in the previous rounds. Jiri Vesely withdrew from the second round due to a left forearm injury, then Mikhail Youzhny was struck by a leg injury and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was troubled by his knee in the quarter-finals.
On the other hand, Monfils has spent an extra three hours and 16 minutes on the court. The entertaining and popular Frenchman progressed to his first major final for nine years without dropping a set. On his way to the last four, the 10th seed produced convincing wins over Nicolas Almagro, Marcos Baghdatis and Lucas Pouille.
The upcoming match is expected to be one that both men will enjoy. Djokovic has previously talked about his admiration for Monfils’ enlightening playing style and even admitted that he loves watching the 30-year-old play.
“I love watching Gaël. He’s one of the few players that I will definitely pay a ticket to watch.” Djokovic said.
“He’s very charismatic. Plays with a smile. Enjoys tennis. Enjoys life.”
Regardless of his compliments, Djokovic has a dominating record over Monfils, winning all of their previous encounters. The top seed will be the outstanding favourite to cruise to his 21st grand slam final, despite his roller coaster journey since the Wimbledon Championships. Having the edge in this potentially thrilling encounter, the world No.1 is maintaining a level-headed approach against his increasingly consistent opponent.
“He seems more focused at this time of his career. Especially on the hard court this year, maybe he’s playing the best tennis he ever played.” The world No.1 said about Monfils. “He’s very consistent.”
“I’m definitely expecting a tough battle.”
In the other semifinal, two-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka faces a tricky clash against Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Both men have recovered from the brink of defeat on their way to the semifinals. Wawrinka saved a match point against Great Britain’s Dan Evans during a five-set epic encounter in the third round. He followed up on the successful comeback with wins over Illya Marchenko and Juan Martin del Potro later in the tournament. Meanwhile, Nishikori has dropped at least one set in four out of his previous five matches. The only exception occurred in the fourth round when he defeated Ivo Karlovic. In the last eight, Nishikori knocked out Andy Murray in a marathon clash, despite trailing by two sets and being on the verge of being broken in the fourth.
Friday’s match will be the sixth meeting between the two with Wawrinka leading their head-to-head 3-2. Their previous meeting occurred at the Canadian masters, when the Japanese player downed a below-par Wawrinka in straight sets. The Swiss player will be eager for revenge against Nishikori, who has also previously defeated him at the US Open in 2014, but he is remaining coy about his match tactics.
“It’s going to be interesting for sure. We played many times against each other.” Wawrinka said.
“I saw him play today (Wednesday). He was playing really well.
“It’s going to be a tough match, for sure.”
Wawrinka may be the higher ranked player, however, it is a irrelevant factor in the upcoming match. Nishikori has already displayed his talent in Flushing Meadows, reaching the final in 2014. It will be a tough match between the two players and both are worthy of reaching the final. The showdown will certainly be a battle of the fittest.
Order of play for Friday September 9th
