LIVE: Djokovic & Wawrinka Clash In US Open Final

The US Open title is up for grabs as top seed and two-time champion Novak Djokovic is battling third seed and two-time major winner Stan Wawrinka. The Serbian took the first set 7-6(1) and the Swiss pulled level with a 6-4 second.

Djokovic is appearing in his 21st Grand Slam final, passing Rafael Nadal for solo second place on the Open Era list. He is vying for a 13th title, which would put him one behind Nadal and Pete Sampras.

Entering with a perfect 2-0 record in Grand Slam finals, Wawrinka is seeking his 15th title at the tour-level. The 31 year old is looking to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win two or more major singles crowns after turning 30, joining Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors.

Djokovic leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head 19-4, but Wawrinka has taken two of their past three Grand Slam meetings, including the 2015 Roland Garros final. In addition, four of their past five major encounters went five sets.

Here is how the final is unfolding…

SET ONE – Djokovic 7-6(1)
Warm and overcast conditions greeted Djokovic and Wawrinka on Sunday afternoon at Flushing Meadows, with the brutal humidity that plagued the tournament earlier in the week dropping significantly as the Serbian and the Swiss took to Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Wawrinka, who had won his past 10 tour-level finals, had his game plan. The World No. 3 hammered his backhand with aplomb in last year’s Roland Garros final against Djokovic, breaking down the Serbian’s defenses. With this year’s US Open courts playing slower than usual, Wawrinka had more time to set up his penetrating groundstrokes, which generated more than double the winners (157-70) throughout the fortnight.

But Djokovic had other plans from the start. Much like he did against Kei Nishikori in the semis, Wawrinka started slow, and the two-time US Open champion took full advantage in the early proceedings.

The World No. 1 broke Wawrinka from 40/15 down in the Swiss’ first service game and consolidated for a 3-0 lead. An outrageous point saw Djokovic deny a pair of forehand winners with his elastic defense from well behind the baseline. A lunging backhand stab landed smack on the far tramline and Wawrinka had no response.

Following a hold to love for 5-2, Djokovic looked to wrap up the set in efficient fashion, holding a pair of set points with Wawrinka serving at 5-3. But Wawrinka raised his game to match his counterpart, turning aside both chances and denying Djokovic’s bid to serve out the set a game later. The Swiss would hold for 5-all, suddenly turning the tide with a run of 12 of 15 points.

The set would proceed to a tie-break, where both competitors provided arguably the point of the tournament, a 19-shot rally that saw them produce a stunning shotmaking display of precision, power and finesse. Wawrinka would win the point, but that would be all the Swiss could muster in the tie-break as Djokovic took it 7-1 after 58 minutes.

SET TWO – Wawrinka 6-4
With musicians Paul Simon and Tony Bennett, actor James Spader and fashion icon Anna Wintour in attendance on a star-studded early evening in New York, Djokovic looked to extend his lead.

The Belgrade native is 51-0 when winning the first set at the US Open, but after taking a physical opener, he let his guard down early in the second. The scintillating down-the-line backhand in the ad court, that earned Wawrinka the title at Roland Garros over Djokovic last year, produced a moment of magic to break for 3-1. Two Djokovic double faults hurt the Serbian’s cause in that service game, and he would fail to capitalise on a 0/40 look at Wawrinka’s serve immediately after.

Coach Magnus Norman has brought a surge of mental strength to Wawrinka’s game in recent years and the Swiss exhibited that steely resolve during the second set. First, he refused to suffer a lapse of focus after dropping a tight opener. Then, he remained poised after conceding the break midway through the set.

The tide would turn in an instant. Serving up 4-2 30/30, Wawrinka decided not to make an attempt on a Djokovic regulation cross-court forehand that clipped the edge of the tramline. It would prove costly, as Djokovic would take his fourth break chance of the set in the next point and eventually draw level at 4-all.

But Wawrinka stayed the course, holding to love for 5-4 and converting his second set point as an off-balance Djokovic pulled a forehand wide at 30/40 in the next game. The Swiss would fire seven winners in the second set, benefiting from 14 Djokovic unforced errors. One set apiece, with a critical third stanza on the way.