Stan Wawrinka set up a US Open final showdown with Novak Djokovic after overcoming Kei Nishikori in the last four on Friday.
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Stan Wawrinka sets up Novak Djokovic US Open final
Stan Wawrinka set up a US Open final showdown with Novak Djokovic after overcoming Kei Nishikori in the last four on Friday.
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Wawrinka was forced to come from behind to record a 4-6 7-5 6-4 6-2 win over Japanese sixth seed Nishikori - who had stunned Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in the previous round - in New York.
The victory means Wawrinka will compete in a third career grand slam final, and his first at Flushing Meadows.
Wawrinka won his maiden major at the 2014 Australian Open, before knocking off Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final.
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Humid conditions at the Arthur Ashe Stadium made it difficult for both Wawrinka and Nishikori at the start of the match, but it was the latter who adapted better early on.
Nishikori broke first in the fifth game, starting brightly with an aggressive but effective offensive game against the Swiss.
Wawrinka looked slightly rattled, struggling to deal with the heat, and did not start the second set the way he would have wanted, with Nishikori breaking in the first game.
But Wawrinka did not allow the occasion - his seventh grand slam semi-final - to get to him, striking in the fourth game with a break that he consolidated to put the pressure on Nishikori.
The world number three ensured the second set did not go to a tie-break, wrapping it up in 12 games despite Nishikori's resilience.
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Wawrinka then raced into a 4-1 lead in the third but was pegged back to 4-4 by the spirited Nishikori. However, the Japanese could not hold serve with the pressure on as Wawrinka moved a set away from victory.
The fourth set followed a similar pattern with Nishikori recovering after Wawrinka had surged ahead, but the world number seven could not consolidate after breaking to get back to 3-2.
Nishikori continued to commit unforced errors and there proved to be no way back from 4-2 down, with Djokovic now the only thing standing between Wawrinka and a third slam title.
The two are yet to meet in 2016 but, while Wawrinka will be buoyed by his French Open triumph, Djokovic has a 19-4 win-loss record against the Swiss.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
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Wawrinka [3] bt Nishikori [6] 4-6 7-5 6-4 6-2
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
ACES
BREAK POINTS WON
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
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PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
TOTAL POINTS
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