TEMPO.CO, New York - No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal earned their expected places in Monday's U.S. Open final with semifinal wins yesterday.
Djokovic secured his ticket to final after throwing Stanislas Wawrinka out of his way in Flushing Meadows. Djokovic beat the No. 9 seed from Switzerland, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Nadal who had just trashed the No. 8 French Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-2, will challenge Djokovic in the final.
"Last year I had not had the chance to play in this court," said Nadal who had been absent from tennis due to knee injury for seven months. "To have a chance playing on Monday's final is a dream for me. These last two weeks have been amazing."
"Novak is an amazing competitor. His results say he is one of best players I have ever seen," Nadal said. "He's a great champion and it will be a tough final for me but I hope I will be ready for that."
Meanwhile, Djokovic admitted he has to recover himself from the last tiring game but has no physical problems. "At the end of the day, I managed to stay tough and play well when I needed to. That's something that definitely encouraged me before the final."
So, will it be the top-ranked Djokovic who continues his superlative consistency? Or will it be the No. 2-ranked Nadal who continues his astonishing renaissance? One player will be the ultimate winner. The other will feel painful misery.
REUTERS | ATP | BLEACHER | GADI MAKITAN
