Tennis : Hot-stuff Djokovic sets up Murray US Open final

Tennis : Hot-stuff Djokovic sets up Murray US Open final

NEW YORK: Defending champion Novak Djokovic swept into his third consecutive US Open final, setting up a title showdown with Britain’s Andy Murray, with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain’s David Ferrer on Sunday. Ferrer had led 5-2 in the first set overnight when the semi-final was suspended due to violent storms which battered New York, but Djokovic thrived under clear blue skies on Sunday, allowing the Spaniard just eight more games. The victory gave the second-seeded Serb a year-leading 60th win and extended his winning run at hardcourt Grand Slams to 27 matches. Djokovic will be aiming for a sixth major in Monday’s final while third-seed Murray, who trails the Serb 8-6 in career meetings, is bidding to become Britain’s first men’s Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936.

Victory by the Serb in the championship match would mean 30 out of the last 31 majors have been won by either Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. “We were all praying for less wind today. He handled it better than I did yesterday but I came into today a different player,” said Djokovic. “Against Andy, there will be no clear favourite. He’s going for a first Grand Slam and will be very motivated. Hopefully we will both come up with our best tennis.”

Ferrer quickly wrapped up the opening set on Sunday’s resumption before Djokovic, who hadn’t dropped a set in the tournament, made the fourth seed pay, racing into a 5-0 lead in the second, even saving three break points in the fifth game in the process. Ferrer, playing in his second US Open semi-final and bidding to make the final at a major at the 40th attempt, saved three set points in the seventh game before the champion levelled the semi-final.

The world number two, who had been unsettled by Saturday’s storm-filled skies, broke in the opening game of the third set as the faster, hotter conditions played into his hands. Ferrer briefly rallied for 2-2 before the Serb broke again for 4-3, going on to serve two love games to take the set with a fifth ace of the contest. Two more comfortable breaks allowed Djokovic to sweep to a 3-0 advantage in the fourth set as Ferrer wilted under a relentless barrage of pinpoint groundstrokes. It was all over when Djokovic confidently put away a forehand volley.

Earlier on Saturday, Olympic champion Murray, trying to become the first British man to win a Grand Slam title since 1936, withstood blustery conditions to beat Tomas Berdych and reach the US Open final. Third seed Murray advanced by defeating the Czech sixth seed 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (9/7). “It was brutal,” Murray said, after a tornado warning had been issued earlier in the day. Some of the hardest conditions I have ever played in, and I come from Scotland so that’s saying something.” Trying to end a British men’s Slam drought dating to Fred Perry’s 1936 US title, the lanky 25-year-old Scotsman battled through brutal winds to reach his fifth career Grand Slam final, his second in a row after falling at Wimbledon. After collecting an Olympic crown last month, avenging his Wimbledon final loss to Roger Federer in the final, this might at last be Murray’s moment. Murray and his coach, eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl, are the only Open-era players to drop their first four Grand Slam finals, Murray losing at the 2008 US Open, 2010 and 2011 Australian Opens and last June at Wimbledon. Despite wicked breezes, Murray connected on 74 percent of his first serves and won 73 percent of those points while making only 20 unforced errors to 64 for Berdych. afp