Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are one win away apiece from colliding in a second consecutive Grand Slam final. Standing in their respective ways on Saturday at the U.S. Open, however, are Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (10) Kei Nishikori
Djokovic and Nishikori will be squaring off for just the third time in their careers when they clash in the semifinals of the U.S. Open on Super Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 1-1, with Djokovic having cruised 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 at the 2010 French Open before Nishikori prevailed 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-0 on the indoor hard courts of Basel in 2011. They were supposed to face each other earlier this season in Miami, but Nishikori withdrew from the scheduled semifinal with a groin injury.
The Japanese star has been injury-plagued throughout his career, but from a physical standpoint he is enjoying the fortnight of his life so far in New York. After rolling over Wayne Odesnik, Pablo Andujar, and Leonardo Mayer, Nishikori pulled out consecutive five-set victories over Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka. The world No. 9 is now an awesome 39-9 for his 2014 campaign. Djokovic has improved to 44-6 following defeats of Diego Schwartzman, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Sam Querrey, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Andy Murray. The top-ranked Serb is bouncing back nicely from early losses in Toronto and Cincinnati. With recharged batteries and a heightened motivation level, Djokovic surrendered just a single set to Murray on his way to the semis. The No. 1 seed should have a clear edge over a fatigued opponent who is contesting the first major semifinal of his career.
Pick: Djokovic in 3 with no tiebreakers
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(14) Marin Cilic vs. (2) Roger Federer
Federer and Cilic will be doing battle for the sixth time in their careers and for the second time this summer when they meet again on Saturday. All five previous encounters have gone Federer’s way, including a competitive 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 affair last month in Toronto. The Swiss is 4-0 lifetime against Cilic on hard courts and 11-2 in total sets (9-2 in hard-court sets). Cilic, though, is playing the most consistent tennis of his career right now and he is no stranger to the latter stages of Grand Slams. The 16th-ranked Croat–who is 45-16 for the year–reached the U.S. Open quarters in 2009 and 2012, the Australian Open semis in 2010, and the Wimbledon quarters this summer (extended Djokovic to five sets). So far this fortnight Cilic has taken out Marcos Baghdatis, Illya Marchenko, Kevin Anderson, Gilles Simon, and Tomas Berdych.
These two semifinalists had much different days at the office on Thursday. After Cilic made routine straight-set work of Cilic, Federer recovered from a two-set deficit and saved two match points in a 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 victory over Gael Monfils. That was preceded by scalps of Marinko Matosevic, Sam Groth, Marcel Granollers, and Roberto Bautista Agut. The 33-year-old Swiss is 54-9 for the season, which includes a recent runner-up showing in Toronto and a title in Cincinnati. Federer withstood Cilic’s best effort at the Rogers Cup and there is no reason to think he will not do the same at an event he has won five times. The No. 2 seed has a ton of momentum in the wake of his comeback against Monfils; it’s not going away anytime soon.
Pick: Federer in 4
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https://twitter.com/PseudoFed/status/508638830053044224
@hawkeye,
Thanks for giving me the best laugh of the day! Good stuff!
hawkeye63 says:
September 7, 2014 at 3:47 pm
How did I ever miss that???
#BigEyeRoll
Is that why you are a Fedfanatic, because you don’t know how catty he can be?
Mew
Nishi ever so slight favourite probably based on h2h.
I’ll take Chilich in 5.
^^^I’m of much the same opinion. Cilic has taken great strides forward under the guidance of Goran. He is a completely different player now both mentally and physically. Nishikori will take time away from him which could frustrate Cilic but he showed extraordinary resilience against Federer and I think the momentum will be with him more than with Kei. Either way it promises to be a corker of a final.
I am really looking forward to the final. The outcome is difficult to guess despite Kei’s lead in their h2h at 5:2.
Hi guys, can’t help coming out of retirement and gloat a little 😉
While this summer nothing can beat for me the experience of Germany winning the Word Cup after a 24 year draught (well, maybe beating Brazil in Brazil 7:1 comes pretty close, lol) these rafaless US Open turn out to be fun after all.
I was appalled, when I saw Fed’s draw. These shenanigans simply shouldn’t pay off – and they didn’t, which is good for tennis. When do people finally accept that Fed, while still being remarkably good considering his age, is not going to win anymore slams? It simply won’t happen. Not over 14 days in a best-of-five format; all draw rigging can’t change that. The organizers might as well give it up. Granted, Fed improved greatly, considering that his game was in shambles last year; kudos for that. But all his success this year was also facilitated by some benign draws, Novak’s ever so slight decline and Rafa’s misfortunes.
Right now the slam season doesn’t look so bad for Rafa after all. Like Novak he was in two finals, winning one.
Next year will be really interesting. Hopefully with a fully fit Rafa in the mix.
As to tomorrow’s final: I might actually watch it. It could be fun. I like Special Kei and I’m an ardent fan of Marin’s coach (a very short but intense fandom, lasting only two glorious weeks in the summer of 2001). So the outcome simply can’t disappoint me. A comfortable and peaceful situation. I had my share of nerve wrecking routing this summer and I’m done with it for the time being.
Now I can’t stop laughing!
I’m littlefoot of course. When I typed in my moniker, some self correcting program must’ve sneaked in the football. It has almost a Freudian slip dimension.
But I like this moniker, and after all those matches I’ve watched lately it is really quite apt . 🙂
welcome back kleine soccer ball
good to read you again
those 7 or so minutes during which Germany scored goals 2 through 5 in the match against Brasil were awesome… the result of everything they prepared for, truly in every way, for many years
@little football, I saw the moniker and after reading the first sentence the light bulb went off in me head, @littlefoot!
I was incandescent when I saw the draw, and then the scheduling just put gasoline on burning coals, aaaagh! I was honestly ready to emotionally walk away from tennis because of the unfairness of it all, it just was not fun, added to Rafa’s absence. But the fair tennis gods intervened………….
Roger Federer is not going to win another Slam through rigged draws and favourable scheduling, that much is clear, thank goodness, no matter how much the establishment tries.
As for the final, me heart is with Kei and my head couldn’t give a damn! As far as I am concerned the overall winner is………………Rafa!
I am looking forward to the final. In my heart I want Kei to win, but Cilic is playing some brilliant tennis. I think it should be a great match. I am expecting it to be a close one. I think Kei definitely has a good chance. No matter who wins, I will be happy for them. I can watch and just enjoy the tennis.
Since nobody forecast either of these guys reaching the final, let alone both of them, it will be a matter of guesswork and pure luck to pick the winner. It will come down to who has the best serving day which on the evidence so far favours Cilic over Nishikori. It will also depend on who can control their nerves. That also is anybody’s guess but I have a hunch Nishikori might have the slight edge here.
#LevelPlayingField
I think that Kei just might find a way to do it again. It’s true that if Cilic plays the way he did against Fed, it’s going to be tough. It really is a toss up for me. Will Cilic’s big serving rule the day? Will Kei be able to out maneuver him? I just don’t know.
I am a bit biased in wanting Kei to win. He’s been so mentally tough in his last three matches. He never gives up. I wonder if either of these guys will get the jitters when they go out on Arthur Ashe stadium tomorrow. Will they feel any pressure? No one expected either of them to be in this position.
Ricky and all of his guest panel of experts picked Cilic. I am going to pick Kei in four or five sets. But I just hope that we get to see a great match.
no, 4 of 5 picked Cilic
Who picked Kei? I don’t know how I missed that one. I will have to go back and read it again. But it’s good to know that at least one person picked him..
I ,too, am picking Kei 😉
Sorry, my bad. It was Joey and now I do remember reading his preview.