We’re almost at the end of the US Open Tennis Championships and the men have now been whittled down from 128 players to the final four, all of whom are seeded here .
Top seed and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic remains the favourite to win the trophy for a second year running. He has had an easy run into the semi-finals here, having played only two full matches, with a number of his opponents retiring prior to, or partway through a match against the Serb.
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It looks like he’ll have it relatively easy this time around, too; the Serb has a very familiar opponent by way of 10th seed Gael Monfils. Although the tall Frenchman has done very well so far, he is yet to conquer Djokovic on the ATP circuit.
Here’s a preview of the action expected tonight:
Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils
Djokovic and Monfils are old foes, having met a whopping 12 times on the professional circuit – with the Serb having won every single match. The pair most recently faced off at the semi-finals of the Montreal Masters earlier this year, where Djokovic was eventually crowned champion.
Their rivalry, which goes back over a decade,is decidedly one-sided; the last time Monfils won a match against Djokovic, the pair were still on the Futures circuit.
Although Djokovic veat Monfils in straight sets at the Montreal Masters, five of the Serb’s 12 wins over Monfils have been in straight sets, meaning that Djokovic has had to make a significant effort to trump Monfils on court, and that the Frenchman is not a particularly easy opponent.
The acrobatic Monfils is yet to drop a set in his US Open campaign, having won every single match he has played so far in straightforward fashion; Djokovic, meanwhile has only played two full matches. Being well-rested will give Djokovic a definitive advantage here, as will his previous success at Flushing Meadows.
Still recuperating from injury and off the back of a slump in his season, Djokovic has mentioned personal problems having weighed his game down. So far, he is yet to entirely exhibit the vast gamut of shots that he has come to be associated with.
Though it is Djokovic who is recovering, Monfils is known to be one of the most injury-prone players on the circuit, and has frequent knee injury issues that have hampered his play. Given he has been playing a consistently high level of tennis, Monfils, who is known as Slenderman for his athleticism on court, may be suffering from low energy and fatigue.
The pair have met before at the US Open in 2010, with Djokovic ousting Monfils in the quarterfinals in a three-set win, the first of those sets going to tiebreak.
Although Djokovic has not fully bounced back himself, it does not look like Monfils will be too much trouble for the Serb to get past - but he will have to face some form of a fight.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in four sets
Stan Wawrinka vs Kei Nishikori
Third seed Stan Wawrinka has not had much form lately, but has played well to get to the semi-finals of the US Open this year. Perhaps the highlight of his campaign thus far at flushing meadows was that four setter in the quarter-finals against Argentine wildcard Juan Martin del Potro, who of late has been enjoying somewhat of a mammoth comeback.
After winning silver at the Olympic games with wins over Novak Djokovic in Round 1 and Rafael Nadal at the semi-finals, the Gentle Giant, who has struggled with wrist injuries and recuperating from surgeries, engaged the Swiss, who has two Grand Slam titles to his credit, to a long-drawn out four setter that went on until well past midnight.
Today Wawrinka is up against Japanese 6th seed Kei Nishikori, who has also been in good form this year. The 26-year-old, who finished runner-up at the US Open in 2014 to Marin Cilic, has been playing excellent tennis this season, and almost ousted Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Rome Masters ahead of Djokovic’s French Open win.
Based on seeding, many would give this one to Wawrinka, but based on form and recent performances, we think Nishikori is in this with a strong winning opportunity.
26-year-old Nishikori, who is Japan’s only top-10 tennis player in history, also recently won bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 after a strong battle against Rafael Nadal.
The pair’s rivalry is fairly even; although Wawrinka leads it 3-2, the pair are dead even in their head-to-head record on hard courts. They have in fact met at the US Open before – in 2014, with Nishikori eventually progressing to the finals.
The Japanese had taken that win in 5 very closely-contested sets.
The most recent outing between the pair, however, was decidedly one-sided. At the Montreal Masters this year, both Nishikori and Wawrinka made the semi-finals. (Inicidentally, the US Open semi-final draw is identical to that at the Rogers Cup.)
At that tournament, it was Nishikori who thoroughly outplayed Wawrinka as the match progressed. After taking the Japanese to tiebreak in set 1, Wawrinka lost his rhythm entirely, tumbling 1-6 in the first set as Nishikori progressed to the finals, where he eventually lost the title to Novak Djokovic.
Given Nishikori’s recent form, he could well be expected to take this one over Wawrinka, but one would be hard-pressed to call it an ‘upset’.
Prediction: Nishikori in four sets
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