Wawrinka sets up final with world no. 1 Djokovic

NEW YORK, Saturday - Stan Wawrinka outslugged Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori 4-6 7-5 6-4 6-2 in energy-sapping humidity at Flushing Meadows on Friday to set up a U.S. Open final against world number one Novak Djokovic.

The third-seeded Swiss took a while to get untracked as 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Nishikori played a near flawless opening set of the semi-final with just two errors.

The Japanese broke Wawrinka to start the second set, but the Swiss started rolling after breaking back in the fourth game and Nishikori, who went five tough sets to upset second seed Andy Murray in a four-hour quarter-final, began to wither.

Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open winner and 2015 French Open champion, broke Nishikori in the last game of the second, third and fourth sets to reach his first U.S. Open final.

"He was playing really good from the beginning, he was dictating," Wawrinka said. "He was putting pressure on me, didn't give me any time. I had to wait. I had to fight.

"And he also started to get tired a little bit. That's when I started to get aggressive."

The Swiss has lost 19 of 23 matches against defending champion Djokovic, who beat French 10th seed Gael Monfils in his semi-final, but Wawrinka has beaten the Serb on his way to both of his grand slam titles.

"To tell myself I'm going to be in the final is something crazy," he said.

"I'm really excited. I watched the final so many times here. Roger (Federer), Novak, Rafa (Nada) they are amazing champions. To play Novak in the final... is going to be something special." Djokovic, a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-2 winner against Monfils, is prepared for a sterner test from Wawrinka.

"Stan is a big match player," Djokovic said when asked about the Swiss, who has won his last 10 finals.

World number one Djokovic scrapped his way into the final for a seventh time With a confounding win over THE enigmatic Frenchman.

Often viewed as more showman than competitor, the 10th-seeded Monfils tested the patience of both Djokovic and the fans with a display of tennis that swung wildly from dynamic to indifferent.

In what was one of the more bizarre encounters to unfold on a grand slam court, Monfils was showered with boos one set and cheers the next before exiting Arthur Stadium to a mixture of both. "He's very entertaining to watch," said Djokovic. "He's a very charismatic guy and he had a great tournament.

"It was a strange match, as it always is when you play Gael, who is a very unpredictable player. He loves to come up with a variety in his game."

Djokovic has described Monfils as the only player he would buy a ticket to watch and the Frenchman delivered an entertaining if unconventional display that drew both anger and applause.