Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will contest the US Open men’s singles final on Sunday, after the No. 1 and 2 seeds dismissed defending champion Marin Cilic and Stanislas Wawrinka in their respective semi-finals on Friday.
A year ago, both Djokovic and Federer were expected to have graced the championship match, until Kei Nishikori and Cilic called for their unexpected departure.
As they say, they did turn the table on their opponents this time, but it’s best I mention that the women were inflicted by the upset bug on Day 12 of the 2015 Championship with No. 1 seed Serena Williams and No. 2-seeded Simona Halep exiting at the expense of two lowly rated Italians.
Serbia’s Djokovic needed just 85 minutes to see off a faltering Cilic 6-0 6-1 6-2, while Federer followed suit with another commanding 6-4 6-3 6-1 win against reigning French Open champion Stan Wawrinka.
Federer, 34, showcased the rich vein of tennis mastery which, yet, makes him Switzerland’s No. 1, avoiding long rallies with the fifth seed, while manning the baseline with greater caution – the 17-time Grand Slam winner succeeded in 80% of his net approaches, blasted ten aces and faced only four break points, all of which came in the first set.
His next opponent, Djokovic, also dominated Cilic earlier in Friday’s night session. Both top two players have met five times in a final this year and Federer have taken 2 of those encounters, including straight sets (hard court) wins in Cincinnati prior to New York.
