Novak Reaches Record-Tying Eighth US Open Final

Twelve months ago, Novak Djokovic sat at home as Rafael Nadal lifted the trophy at the US Open. What a difference a year makes. On Sunday, the two-time champion will have the opportunity to reclaim his throne at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Not only did Djokovic defeat Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his eighth US Open final on a steamy evening in Flushing Meadows, but in doing so, the Serbian secured his place at the Nitto ATP Finals, qualifying for the season finale at The O2 in London for the 11th time.

The battle of boisterous backhands was owned by Djokovic, who dominated from the baseline throughout the encounter. Nishikori had little response for his penetrating ground game, as the Serbian refused to allow his opponent to step into the court and establish any rhythm. Rattled by Djokovic’s trademark defence, Nishikori struck 51 unforced errors and faced 17 break points during the two-and-a-half hour affair. 

“I was coming into today’s match knowing I’m going to play a player who is very quick and takes away a lot of the time from his opponent,” said Djokovic. “He just likes to go for his shots. I knew that if I managed to sustain that speed of his shots, that I’ll have my chance to kind of break through and to make him feel uncomfortable and start making errors.

“That’s what happened. I thought in the important moments I came up with some good second serves, some good first serves. I was returning well. I was putting constant pressure on him, trying to move him around the court, take away the rhythm from him, not give him the same look always. The match was really, really good from my side.”

Djokovic sets a championship clash against Juan Martin del Potro, who advanced to the final earlier on Friday. They have not met in more than a year, but the former World No. 1 will take great confidence from a 14-4 edge in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. He captured both of their previous US Open meetings (2007 third round and 2012 quarter-finals).

The Belgrade native reached his 102nd tour-level final and 23rd at the Grand Slam level. Also the champion at Wimbledon in July, he extended his win streak in majors to 13 straight. After battling through a pair of four-set encounters to open the fortnight in New York, he has since not dropped a set en route to Sunday’s championship. Moreover, Djokovic has conceded just two breaks in that span.

The World No. 6 is bidding to add to US Open triumphs in 2011 and 2015 when he faces Del Potro on Sunday. His eight final appearances move him into a tie for the Open Era record, alongside Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras. 

Djokovic did not waste any time under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium, converting his fifth break chance for an immediate 2-0 lead. After relinquishing just four points on serve in the opener, he continued to apply pressure in the second set. Facing 2-2 0/40, Nishikori saved a break point with a beautiful drop shot, but was unable to stave off the Serbian’s offensive barrage for long. 

Refusing to flinch, the 31-year-old surged to a two-set lead and snatched the decisive break for 2-1 in the third, as a Nishikori backhand found the net. It was one-way traffic from there, as Djokovic celebrated his 39th match win of the year after two hours and 22 minutes, securing his second match point with a lunging backhand winner.

Djokovic improves his dominant FedEx ATP Head2Head edge over Nishikori to 15-2, having now won 14 straight meetings since the 2014 US Open. He has claimed all four encounters this year – at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, as well as in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Most Grand Slam Finals (Open Era)

After an elbow injury forced Djokovic to miss the final four months of the 2017 season, he will return to the Nitto ATP Finals from 11-18 November. The five-time champion joins Nadal and Federer in punching their tickets, with the Swiss also qualifying on Friday. Djokovic remains in second in the ATP Race To London with 5,645 points.

Nishikori, meanwhile, caps an impressive fortnight in the U.S. metropolis. The Japanese star continued his quest to return to the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings in his comeback from an elbow injury, and is projected to ascend to No. 12 on Monday. It was the 28-year-old’s first major semi-final since the 2016 US Open.

“He was playing very solid with everything: serve, return and groundstrokes,” said Nishikori. “He was playing aggressive. I didn’t have much energy to stay with him. He was hitting side to side. I think I was just tired from the last couple matches. I was trying to give 100 per cent, but he was playing very solid. Maybe if he wasn’t Novak, I might have chance to play a little better. But he was playing great tennis today. Credit to him.

“It was a very good tournament. Maybe not today, but the last couple matches I played great tennis. I beat a couple good guys: Cilic and Diego [Schwartzman]. I’m really happy to be here, in the semis again.”