Steen Kirby (Tennis East Coast) – Stan the Man continued his career year by crushing a listless Andy Murray in straights, while Djokovic needed four sets to take care of Mikhail Youzhny, cruising in the first couple before a minor hiccup in the third. This match is, of course, a rematch of some of the best tennis of the year in Melbourne, where Djoker prevailed 12-10 in the fifth set. In that match, Djokovic was terrible for the first one and a half sets and Wawrinka was redlining it almost the whole time, but the world No. 1 still prevailed…just as he has in 10 of their other 12 meetings, including a straight-set win (with a retirement) at last summer’s U.S. Open. Wawrinka probably takes a set in this one, but unless Djokovic comes out as listless as Murray did, he should advance.
Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Ricky Dimon – Djokovic-Wawrinka at the Aussie Open is arguably the match of the year to date, producing inspirational tennis from both men once the Serb woke up late in the second set en route to a 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(5), 12-10 triumph. Wawrinka has endured his fair share of heartbreak on the court in 2013, but he is back in peak form when it matters most. The Swiss got past Berydch–who had been playing great ball, himself–then clobbered Murray. Djokovic is playing far better than he did in Cincinnati (he actually played well in Montreal despite losing to Nadal), but he has labored through a few brief walkabouts in New York. The result should be a competitive affair on Saturday, but this is Wawrinka’s first major semifinal and Djokovic is far more accustomed to this kind of situation. Djokovic 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.
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(2) Rafael Nadal vs. (8) Richard Gasquet
Steen – Gasquet accomplished some career milestones by reaching his second Grand Slam semifinal (Wimbledon 2007), his first semi at the U.S. Open. He avoided a collapse by beating David Ferrer in five sets on Wednesday and now he has to play the most dominant player in the draw whom he has never beaten as a professional (0-10). But they haven’t played since 2011. Nadal drubbed Tommy Robredo in the quarters and while Gasquet had his backhand firing against Ferrer, it’s hard to expect him to even get a set here. Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Ricky – Not only is Nadal a perfect 10-0 lifetime in the head-to-head series, but he has also won 14 consecutive sets against Gasquet dating back to the 2008 Toronto Masters. Gasquet is playing stellar tennis this fortnight and he showed rare mental strength against Ferrer, but he needed 10 total sets to get though his last two matches–including four hours and 40 minutes against Raonic. Sure he has a lot of recovery time, but anything less than 100 percent is a death wish for anyone–not just Gasquet–against Nadal right now. The Spaniard is undefeated on hard courts in 2013, he has dropped only one set at the U.S. Open, and he looked borderline unbeatable against Robredo. Nadal 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
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