In a scintillating display of tennis, Roger Federer defeated fellow Swiss and good friend Stan Wawrinka to reach the finals yet again. The all-Swiss Semi was billed as one of the matches of the tournament, the battle of the one-handed backhand, the battle for supremacy, but it didn't live up to it's hype as the the world number two Federer, dispatched him in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.
The world number two, who hasn't lost a set since he turned 34, has not had the easiest of draws this tournament, but hardly broke a sweat in the earlier matches beating the likes of big serving home favourite John Isner, Philip Kohlschreiber and most recently Frenchman Richard Gasquet (who was just coming off a win against the 6th seed Berdych).
Wawrinka on the other had a laborious road to the semis, despite having a comparatively easier draw with a subpar performance performance against Donald Young, and the only highlight being the quarterfinals against Kevin Anderson(who beat Murray). The last match between the two Swiss was at Roland Garros which Wawrinka won (before he went on to win the whole thing) but since then he's had an injury-plagued season but this was their first meeting at a Grand Slam semifinal. In his press conference afterwards, Stan Wawrinka exclaimed that this was the best he'd seen Federer play in a long time, and he wished him good luck for the finals held on Sunday.
Opening set to Federer
In the match itself, except for spurts of brilliance here and there, Wawrinka was simply outclassed by his older Davis Cup teammate. Wawrinka started off well, by holding in his service game, and even got a break point in the next game, but relinquished it after two misplaced errors. Federer then broke on Wawrinka's serve, and then held to love to stamp his superiority. The match so far was mostly played from the baseline, but except for a few spellbinding backhands, nothing exceptional in it's quality.
Wawrinka held his serve and even managed to get three break points on Federer's serve. Federer managed to save all three, in an fantastic bout of tennis(with one ace, one net winner and one service winner). Another hold by both players, and it's now Stan Wawrinka serving to save the first set in this all-Swiss Semi. After a long forehand by Wawrinka, Federer took the first set.
Federer a set from the final
They both hold in the beginning of the 2nd set, with Federer getting two aces. Federer tried going for the SABR(Sneak Attack by Roger)in this game, but it failed, and Wawrinka held. Federer then came in with an effortless winner that closes the next game out, which was also the turning point of the match, the point where Wawrinka realised that he couldn't hope to win if he played the same way. After a few wayward serves from Wawrinka, Federer holds and then breaks to take the 2nd set 6-4.
Dominance from the Swiss number one
Wawrinka was simply outclassed in the third set, with it almost feeling like we were watching Federer's practice. His spectacular backhands on the line, his mind blowing cross-court forehands, and the finesse with which he performed them, captivated viewers all over the globe. Wawrinka's game fell off at this stage, even compared to the way he was playing earlier. He managed to win the first game, but that's about it as Roger Federer won 6-4 6-3 6-1 to reach his 7th U.S. Open final where he will face a tough challenge from world number one Novak Djokovic.
The last time the two top seeds played was on hard courts at the Cincinnati finals, which Federer won but the one match that is still vivid in Federer fans' memory is the Wimbledon final earlier this year(which Djokovic won in a tightly contested matchup). However, you can be sure that Federer will want revenge and the hunt for his 18th Grand Slam is still on.