Into Final, Stan Says: ‘I Want To Make Them Suffer’

Stan Wawrinka prides himself on his durability and fitness and the two factors guided the third-seeded Swiss to victory on Friday in the US Open semi-finals. Wawrinka rallied from an early deficit to defeat Kei Nishikori 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2, setting a championship clash against top seed and two-time champion Novak Djokovic.

With oppressive heat and humidity wreaking havoc all day, Wawrinka outlasted Nishikori in a four-set battle.

“I knew I could always come back,” said Wawrinka on ESPN’s set following the match. “My game plan is to be aggressive. I knew I could fight for three, four, five hours. I want to make them suffer and that’s what I did against Del Potro and today as well.”

On an overcast Friday evening, conditions looked to be challenging for both players, but Nishikori initially showed no ill-effects, bursting out of the gates to seize the early initiative. Launching his groundstrokes deep to Wawrinka’s backhand and opening the court to attack, the Japanese earned a quick break for 3-2 and eventually took a one-set lead.

Nishikori won an impressive 16 of 17 first-serve points to open the match, but it was two second serves that would cost him the break early in the second. Wawrinka countered Nishikori’s aggressive play with an attacking statement of his own, rifling a backhand winner that clipped the baseline to level the set at 3-all. The steady Swiss began plotting his comeback deep in the second set, employing his brand of power tennis to deny six break points, including from 0/40 in the seventh game. It proved to be the turning point in the match. Injecting significant pace into his shots off the ground, he would eventually convert his second set point to draw level at one apiece. 

“It was really wet,” Wawrinka added in his press conference. “It was tough conditions. I just knew that it was important not to show it, to stay there, because I also know that in a five-set match there is some up and down. It’s important to not spend energy by being negative and show the opponent that you’re struggling. I think today it make a big difference for myself.” 

The lead oscillated between the two competitors in the critical third set. First, Wawrinka broke. Then, it was Nishikori’s turn. Both competitors enjoyed runs of three straight games won, but the third-seeded Swiss would have the last laugh. With the roof closed during a period of rain, the Japanese’s energy level began to wane and Wawrinka would pounce on his opportunities. Nishikori’s service speed dipped and his unforced error count grew, while Wawrinka continued to blast away from the baseline, breaking in the 10th game for a two-sets-to-one lead.

Wawrinka would pull away in the fourth set, capturing the first 10 points. Despite conceding the break back three games later, he proved to be too strong in the end. Nishikori’s unforced error count rose to 46 and Wawrinka’s winner total soared to 37, as the Swiss broke twice more to seal the victory on his second match point after three hours and seven minutes. A mammoth inside-out forehand winner at 30/15 in the final game punctuated his efforts. 

The Swiss improved to 14-5 at the US Open when dropping the first set, reaching his first final in 12 appearances in New York. It will be his third Grand Slam title match in total and second in as many years against Djokovic. Wawrinka earned a four-set victory in the Roland Garros final last year. 

“I was definitely tired, especially in the end,” said Nishikori. “The last two set were really tough. I think also he was stepping up a little more from the second set on. He was missing a lot the first set and also I was playing good tennis, but I think he made some changes and he was starting to play better.

“He started using his backhand a little bit more down the line and with angles. I think that was really working for him. For me, I think I was hitting too short and wasn’t making enough first serves. There is a reason he’s been Top 5 for a long time now. He played some good tennis today.” 

Meeting for the sixth time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, Wawrinka now leads 4-2. Nishikori took their lone previous encounter of 2016 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the 26 year old also grabbed their only previous meeting at the US Open, prevailing in a riveting five-set affair in the 2014 quarter-finals. He was bidding to reach his second final in New York, having finished runner-up to Marin Cilic two years ago.