Novak Djokovic will head to his final clash with Stan Wawrinka with momentum on his side after surviving a tough challenge by Gael Monfils in the semifinals on Friday. The world No. 1 edged past the enigmatic Frenchman in four tough sets, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 , in a match that lasted two hours and 32 minutes.
It has been a tournament like no other for Djokovic who has experienced plenty of drama in the year’s final Grand Slam. Entering New York with a plethora of injury concerns, Djokovic has labored into the finals despite only completing three matches. He had to prove his mettle against Jerzy Janowicz, Kyle Edmund and Monfils despite breezing past the injured Jiri Vesely, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mikhail Youzhny in walk-over wins.
With his victory against Monfils, Djokovic extended his winning streak in the US Open to 13 matches. Djokovic will fancy his chances of stretching his unbeaten run against Wawrinka as he has fared extremely well against the Swiss in the past. Djokovic leads their head-to-head matchup, 19-4. He’s won four of his last five meetings against Wawrinka.
They have met each other 17 times before on the hard surface, with Djokovic winning 15 of those encounters. Their last meeting on the hard court came last year in the semifinals of the Paris Masters with Djokovic winning in three tough sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. For Djokovic to continue his dominance against Wawrinka this coming Sunday, he will need to improve on his first serve percentage. He converted just 64 percent of his first serves in the semis against Monfils. That could be trouble against Wawrinka who converted seven of his 13 break point chances in the previous round.
Stan Wawrinka secured a place in the finals of the 2016 US Open with a tough 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 win over Kei Nishikori on Friday. It was a terrific performance from the Swiss no. 1 who needed three hours and seven minutes to see off the giant-killing Nishikori. The No. 3 seed was clinical in his semifinal win against the Japanese star, hitting 38 winners, converting 54 percent of his break-point opportunities and winning 12 of his 17 net approaches. Of course, it also helped matters that Nishikori committed a whopping 47 unforced errors in that match.
It won’t get any easier for Wawrinka as standing in his way in the finals is the 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Wawrinka is 1-5 against Djokovic in Grand Slam events. Their last meeting in a Grand Slam came in the semifinals of last year’s Australian Open where Djokovic won in five grueling sets, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. That being said, Stan is definitely a man for the big occasion. He’s unbeaten in his last 10 finals appearances, including the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open. Coincidentally, that final win in Roland Garros came at the expense of the great Djokovic.
For Wawrinka to record a major shock against Djokovic, he will need to continue his excellent play on the service end. He blasted 10 aces in his match against Nishikori and won 76 percent of his first serve points. He will take comfort in the fact as well that Djokovic’s health is far from being 100 percent right now. With Djokovic suffering from shoulder and wrist problems, now is the time for Wawrinka to unleash his patented power game against the world no. 1. The longer the match goes on Sunday, the better it is for Wawrinka.
Wawrinka is 8-2 in his last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Wawrinka (-220) edges past Djokovic in four epic sets.
