For the 14th time in their respective tennis careers, Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils are set for a promising duel when they battle for a ticket in the US Open finals.
Djokovic, needless to say, owns the advantage here. He’s beaten the Frenchman in all but one of their 14 matchups, the latest of which happened earlier this year at the Canadian Masters. The Serbian was simply sensational there, overpowering Monfils in two quick sets (6-3, 6-2).
And apart from that mastery over the World No. 12, a well-rested Djokovic looks primed to put on a clinic. After all, he loves playing on hard courts, a surface in which he boasts a 35-2 record this season.
Still, Monfils, who’s played phenomenally in his own way at Flushing Meadows, is bound to make things difficult. He hasn’t given up a set yet in the tournament, and has been very efficient with his overall play. The 30-year-old, on average, has won nearly 80 percent of his first serves per match and has compiled a total of 25 breaks.
Writer’s Prediction: The Djoker (-900) takes care of business, moving past the Monfils after four tight sets.
Stan Wawrinka leads the head-to-head series against Kei Nishikori, 3-2. But the former’s lost two of the last three encounters, both of which were played on hard courts and were settled in straight sets.
Nevertheless, their sixth meeting should be fun to watch and is definitely worth betting on. It’s anybody’s match to be honest. Wawrinka’s serves and carelessness have made him look vulnerable throughout the US Open, but in spite of that, he’s managed to consistently find a way to compensate for those inefficiencies. A good example would be his valiant performance in the quarterfinals, during which he was able to punch in some timely breaks (4) against Juan Martin del Potro.
Nishikori, meanwhile, went the distance to reach the semifinals, outlasting the favored Andy Murray after five long sets, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, in the previous round.
Yes, the Japanese sensation won that match despite committing a ridiculous amount of unforced errors (60). That’s mainly thanks to his excellent return game and unwavering resiliency. Nishikori converted 9 of 13 break point opportunities and won nearly 50 percent of his return points versus the Scotsman. Without question, the World No. 7 is going to need to keep doing that in order to fend off Wawrinka’s powerful serves.
Writer’s Prediction: Amazing Stan (+125) continues to amaze, winning over Nishikori after four grueling sets.
