NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic saved two match points to roar back from
the brink of defeat and beat Roger Federer in a five-set thriller at the
U.S. Open on Saturday and book his place in the final.
The world number one looked to be heading towards a certain defeat
when he lost the first two sets but clawed his way back to defeat
Federer 6-7 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5 and remain on course for his third grand
slam title this year after winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon
championships. For Federer, who was chasing a record sixth U.S. Open title in eight
years, it was a heartbreaking defeat and only the second time in 184
matches that he has been beaten after leading by two sets. The only
other time was at Wimbledon in July. It also ended his streak of winning at least one grand slam every
year since he won the first of his 16 majors in 2003 and the Swiss
master cut a forlorn figure as he trudged off the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Despite losing his way in the third and fourth sets, Federer still
had a chance to win the match after breaking Djokovic’s serve to lead
5-3. He looked to have the match in the bag when he led 40-15 on serve
but squandered his two match points and lost the last four games in a
row. The start of the match was delayed by more than hour because of a
passing shower but the players made up for lost time with a
scintillating first set full of unrelenting tension and precision
serving. The first 13 points all went with the server and neither player faced
a break in the first 12 games as the set went to a tiebreaker. Federer seized the early initiative but squandered four set points,
including three in a row, before he finally sealed the set after 55
minutes when Djokovic dumped a forehand into the net. The raucous crowd at the centre court roared their approval as the
players retreated to their chairs like a pair of prize fighters waiting
for the bell to start the next round of what proved to be titanic battle
between two of the game’s heavyweights Federer, playing his first grand slam as a 30-year-old, landed the
first punch of the second set when he broke Djokovic’s serve in the
third game. The Serbian broke back for 3-3 when Federer ballooned a forehand over
the baseline then hit the next one wide but failed to consolidate the
break, losing his next game to love. The frustration was beginning to show on Djokovic, who had only lost
two matches all year before Saturday, and there was some early signs of
fatigue after a long season that has brought him nine titles, including
the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He retired from last month’s Cincinnati Masters final because of a
sore shoulder and bent down to massage his right ankle reached before
conceding the set when he slapped a return into the net but it was a
false alarm. Djokovic came out swinging in the third set and jumped to a decisive
3-0 lead after finally discovering a way to break Federer’s impenetrable
serve, pinning the third seed further and further behind the baseline
as he started to find his rhythm. The 24-year-old suddenly seemed re-energised as Federer started to
tire in the humidity, gifting points to Djokovic with shanks and shots
off the frame. Djokovic raced through the set in 33 minutes, the quickest of the
match, as the crowd rose to their feet to urge Federer to raise his game
for the deciding set. The former world number one responded, holding his first four service
games before breaking Djokovic in the eighth before his own serve let
him down when he needed it most.
Meanwhile, Rafa Nadal, his form and confidence rising with each match, powered
past Britain's Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-2 at the U.S. Open on Saturday
to set up a rematch of last year's final with Novak Djokovic. The second-seeded Spaniard was brilliant from the baseline and the
net, and proved too steady against an out-of-sorts Murray, who shouted
at himself and whacked his leg with his racket as his frustrations
boiled over in the first two sets. In the fourth set, Nadal again unsteadied the volatile Murray, giving
himself a chance to avenge a string of stinging losses to Djokovic this
year.
Nadal beat Djokovic in last year's final but the Serb, who advanced
with a thrilling five-set win over Roger Federer on Saturday, has beaten
the Spaniard in five finals this year, including Wimbledon, to replace
him as world number one. "This year I'm not having a lot of luck against him. I have played
him already in five finals and I lost all of them," 10-time grand slam
winner Nadal told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. "So hopefully, New York
will help me this time." Murray was out of step in the opening sets but flashed his great
retrieving skills and athletic volleying to keep himself in the match.
By the end he was undone by a rash of unforced errors, peppering the net
with routine shots. The Briton, a three-time grand slam finalist who was hoping to end a
75-year drought for a British men's grand slam winner, cracked 44
winners, 13 more than Nadal, but his 55 unforced errors was more than
twice his opponent's total. The Spaniard looked set to take charge early in the match, grabbing
0-30 leads in Murray's first two service games, but the Scotsman fought
him off, leaving his feet to put everything into his strokes to keep the
first set on serve before wilting under Nadal's constant pressure in
the seventh game. Unforced errors crept into Murray's game and the Briton yelled at
himself after one glaring mistake before sending a forehand long to lose
his serve and fall behind 4-3. Nadal served out to claim the set 6-4 and stepped up his attack in
the next set, breaking the Briton twice to take a two set lead, with
Murray banging himself with his racket for not cashing in on three break
points along the way. Murray tried another tact in the third set, changing pace more often
and engaging the hard-working Spaniard in longer rallies before seizing
opportunities to go on the offensive. Nadal and Murray traded service breaks early in the third set before
the Briton broke in the eighth game and held serve to hand the Spaniard
his first lost set of the tournament. After fighting off two break points, Murray finally yielded the
critical service break in the fourth game when he sailed a forehand long
to fall behind 3-1. The fight seemed to seep out of Murray, who had a tough four-set
match against American John Isner on Friday, and Nadal broke the Briton
again in the eighth game to end the three-hour 24-minute match.
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