By Erik Gudris | Friday, September 5, 2014

 

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer enter as big favorites in their respective US Open semifinals. Can their opponents pull off a big upset?

Photo Credit: AP

While two of the four men's semifinalists were expected to be at this stage, two more find themselves worthy entrants as well after a tough two weeks. Here's a preview of the US Open Men's Semifinals.

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(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (10) Kei Nishikori
Head to Head: Tied at 1-1

While the head to head may be tied, Djokovic enters this match as the clear favorite. That's because Djokovic is entering his eighth straight US Open semifinal and his 17th career Grand Slam semifinal in his last 18 tournaments. On the flip side, Nishikori is in his first ever major final four. Nishikori, the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in the Open Era, is known for his injuries woes throughout his career.

But Japan's No. 1 surprised many by not only winning in five sets against Milos Raonic in a late night slash early morning battle but then bouncing back to beat Stan Wawrinka in yet another grueling five set contest. Thanks to having two days off, Nishikori should be rested enough to be at, hopefully, near 100%. That he made it this far is a supreme accomplishment and bodes well for his career.

While Nishikori will have to return well and take his chances, he's going up against a player who does everything even better than he does. Nishikori will have to hope Djokovic gets off to a slow start or struggles with the conditions, especially if it's hot and/or windy during this day match. If Nishikori can win enough baseline rallies, he may just get into Djokovic's head enough to make the Serb try for too much at the wrong time.

Still, this match feels like it's on Djokovic's racquet. Nishikori does have a chance though if he picks the right moments to go for his shots and doesn't get discouraged if Djokovic starts well. Djokovic should prevail, but this match could get tricky if the top seed isn't sharp from the start.

Pick: Djokovic

(2) Roger Federer vs. (14) Marin Cilic
Head to Head: Federer Leads 5-0

Federer pulled off yet another incredible comeback win, the ninth of his career, after being two sets to love down early versus Gael Monfils. How Federer snaps back after that win could be a factor in this semi that he is heavily favored to win. Seeking his 18th Grand Slam title, Federer will still keep his focus on this match alone.

Waiting for him is surprise semifinalist Cilic. This time last year, Cilic sat on the sidelines as he waited out a ban for improperly taking a glucose supplement. That time away made the Croat want to play even better when got back out on the courts. Now working with Goran Ivanisevic as his coach, Cilic continues enjoying a resurgent 2014 season. Still, he has to figure out a way to beat Federer, something he's never done before. He got very close in Toronto earlier this summer when Federer failed to close out their fourth round match in straights and was forced to battle through and win a third set.

That result likely will make Federer focus on being even more focused against Cilic this time. Cilic, if he has any hope, will have to serve extremely well, take chances on returns, and maybe hope to get into a few tiebreaks where anything could happen. Federer, for his part, won't want to suffer any letdowns and maintain his recent penchant for attacking the net as much as he can. While Cilic certainly could test Federer here, this is still all about the five-time champion and how he plays.

With the crowd expected to be on his side again, their cheers should lift their favorite player over to yet another US Open final.

Pick: Federer