By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 11, 2015
A dominant Novak Djokovic dismantled defending champion Marin Cilic permitting just three games to reach his fourth Grand Slam final of the year in New York.
Photo credit: US Open/USTA
NEW YORK—There is a time and place for everything. Facing Novak Djokovic between the lines is never a good time or place for Marin Cilic.
Spinning high in the air, Djokovic was nearly facing his own service line when he spiked a slick high backhand volley winner to reach triple match point.
Even with his back to the net, the world No. 1 played way over Cilic's head.
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A dominant Djokovic dismantled the gimpy defending champion, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, in the most lopsided US Open semifinal of the Open Era. Djokovic soared into his fourth Grand Slam final of the season.
"It's a great achievement I'm very proud of it," Djokovic said after raising his 2015 record to 62-5. "I owe a great congratulations to my team and my family for being there supporting me. These are the tournaments where you want to perform your best. Grand Slams are the most important events that we have in our sport and this is the biggest stadium and probably most special stadium we have as well."
Streaks collided as Cilic carried an empowering 12-match US Open winning streak into the semifinals, and an excruciating 13-match losing streak to Djokovic, who had collected 31 of their prior 36 sets.
The ninth-seeded Croatian outdueled Mikhail Kukushkin in a four hour, 11-minute marathon —the second-longest singles match of the tournament —in the third round and twisted his ankle in the second set of his two hour, 26-minute victory over Jeremy Chardy in the fourth round. Still, he persevered fighting off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a four-hour quarterfinal.
Facing Djokovic with two healthy ankles, Cilic is winless.
Facing the world No. 1 with one bum ankle, Cilic was hopeless.
Playing with a brace wrapping his right ankle, Cilic was overwhelmed by the quicker Serbian. Djokovic obliterated Cilic's serve, breaking eight times, and punished the second serve, collecting 28 of 36 points played on his opponent's second delivery.
Showing no mercy while the ball was in play, Djokovic displayed class and empathy for Cilic in the aftermath of a brilliant beat down.
"For those who didn't notice and don't know, Marin was carrying an injury of an ankle for the last couple of matches," Djokovic told the crowd in his post-match interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi. "He was courageous enough to come out and finish the match today so applause for him. It's not easy knowing your opponent is not 100 percent. But I came out with good focus, good intensity and I obviously executed the game plan."
It is the sixth Flushing Meadows final for the 2011 champion, who will face either second-seeded Roger Federer or Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka in Sunday's final. Djokovic lost to Federer in his first Grand Slam final at the 2007 US Open.
"I haven't been very successful in the finals of the US Open I won one and lost four," Djokovic said. "Still, I've been playing some of my best tennis on this court ever since 2007. That was my first Grand Slam final against Roger. So I look forward to it. I definitely can promise that I'll give the maximum of my abilities and try my best to win that match. Of course, I cannot predict the result, but I'll give it my best."
If not for Wawrinka's audacious shot-making spectacle in the French Open final, Djokovic could well be playing for a calendar Grand Slam on Sunday. As it is, the top seed tore through an opponent he's own in advancing to his 16th Grand Slam final in his last 21 majors.
Typically, you'd call Djokovic's stirring backhand winner a show-stopping moment. The top seed drained the drama from this semifinal racing through the first seven games to put Cilic in the rear-view mirror.
Bursting out of the blocks quickly, Djokovic broke in the second game. Cilic, who hit a tournament-high 111 aces and held in 94 of 103 service games reaching the semifinals, was tight and predictable on serve. He sailed a second-serve long handing Djokovic his second straight service break.
The top seed permitted just three points on serve breezing to a 5-0 lead after just 17 minutes of play. Striking the ball with conviction and stringing together confident combinations, Djokovic lost just 11 points tearing through the first set in a mere 24 minutes.
The reigning champion snapped the shutout in the eighth game, but it wasn't easy. Cilic had to combat a pair of break points holding for the first time for 1-all eliciting a cheer from the disengaged crowd desperate for the Croatian to make a match of it.
A ruthless Djokovic was in no mood for drama.
One reason Djokovic dominates this match up is because Cilic cannot hit through the best hard-court defender in the game. Another is Djokovic is so comfortable in running rallies he diminishes the open court space and drains errors from the Croatian. Successive errors gave the Serbian his fourth break 43 minutes into the match. By that point, the top seed had won 18 of 22 points played on Cilic's second serve.
Scattering his fourth double fault, Cilic surrendered serve for the fifth time. Djokovic barely looked stressed building a 6-0, 6-1 lead, while Cilic wore the shell-shocked look of a man without an exit strategy. Hammering a pair of forehand winners, Djokovic was one set from the final after a mere 53 minutes of play.
When Cilic lifted a drop volley winner to break for the first time to level the third set at 2-2 there was finally a roar of approval from the crowd which had been muted by Djokovic's overwhelming play for the first hour. That was about the only reprieve Cilic got all day. Djokovic immediately broke back restoring order. A dispirited Cilic pushed a backhand into the middle of the net as Djokovic broke at love for 5-2.