NEW YORK — World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal set up a mouthwatering men's singles final at the US Open with victories in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows Saturday. Monday's US Open championship showdown will be the third in four years for Djokovic and Nadal at the US National Tennis Center after they advanced in contrasting fashion. Top seed Djokovic sealed his berth first by overtaking gutsy ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in a heart-pounding 2-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over four hours. Nadal conserved his energy, dismissing eighth-seeded Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-2 to improve his career record to 11-0 against the Frenchman and his 2013 hardcourt record to 21-0. The Spaniard, winner of 12 Grand Slam titles, won his only US Open crown in 2010 against Djokovic, who claimed his Flushing Meadows title the following year against Nadal. Last year Djokovic was runnerup to Briton Andy Murray. “Last year I didn't have the chance to play on this court,” said Nadal, who was sidelined seven months due to a knee injury. “To have the chance to play in the final Monday is just a dream for me. It has been two amazing weeks for me.” Djokovic and Nadal are the most familiar of rivals and will be playing against each other for a tour record 37th time. Nadal leads their series 21-15. While Nadal took apart Gasquet in his semifinal, Djokovic got off to a slow start against an inspired Wawrinka and relied on his stamina to wear down the Swiss. The tumultuous match included a warning for courtside coaching from Djokovic's box, the mangling of a racket by a frustrated Wawrinka and a medical timeout for the Swiss for a strained thigh muscle. It reached a crescendo at 1-1 in the fifth set on Wawrinka's serve. The combatants locked into a marathon duel that lasted 21 minutes and featured a series of fierce rallies and brilliant shot-making. Wawrinka fought off five break points among 12 deuces before closing out the game on the 30th point with a service winner, and players earned warm ovations for their desire and skill. Djokovic said he had to regroup after that epic game. “Twenty-one minutes. Wow,” said the Serb. “I was thinking whoever wins this game is going to win the match. I told myself I was going to have to fight again.” The Herculean effort seemed to sap the last bit of energy from Wawrinka, who had earlier left the court for treatment of a thigh strain during the changeover when trailing 4-1 in the fourth set. Djokovic held serve, then broke Wawrinka in the next game for a 3-2 lead and served out to win another classic encounter between the pair following their five-set struggle in the fourth round of the Australian Open, where the Serb closed out the decisive set 12-10. Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek, the fourth-seeded India-Czech pairing, won the men's doubles title Sunday, their second major as a team and the Indian star's third in New York. They beat Alexander Peya of Austria and Brazil's Bruno Soares, the second seeds, 6-1, 6-3. Czech pair Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka capped off Saturday's program by winning the women's doubles title with a 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4 win over Australians Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua. — Agencies
