US Open Tennis 2013 Results: How Semifinals Outcomes Shaped Finals

The 2013 U.S. Open finals feature some familiar faces.

Rafael Nadal, despite his well-known struggles on hard courts, will meet an old friend in Novak Djokovic in the men's final. The women's final will see two familiar foes clash as well when Serena Williams meets up with Victoria Azarenka.

Both contests are sure to be classics as both pairings have made for outstanding matches in the past. What makes them even more interesting are the paths and storylines the semifinals round created for each on their journey to the final.

Here's a look at how the semifinal rounds impacted the final rounds of the classic tournament from Flushing Meadows.

Women's Final: Serena Williams vs. Victoria Azarenka

It may seem anticlimactic that the No. 1 and 2 seeds are advancing to the final on the women's side, but that's a nod to just how dominant Williams has been and how gritty Azarenka has proven to be.

Williams entered her semifinal clash with Li Na as the heavy favorite as both the defending champion and the most dominant player overall. At one point Williams had won 24 straight tournament games, although Na would end that streak in her brief 87-minute encounter with Williams.

Even though she ended up walloping Na 6-0, 6-3, that was not as dominant as her 6-0, 6-0 defeat of Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals.

On the other side is Azarenka, who actually lost sets in both her third and fourth matches. Despite this, Azarenka overcame Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals. That doesn't tell the whole story, as Azarenka was forced to also overcome 18 unforced errors and five double faults.

That tells the story of the final pretty well. Williams holds a 12-3 all-time advantage over Azarenka, but the Belarusian has won two out of the past three when she's been able to dominate the serve.

As the semifinals showed, Williams is the unstoppable force, but Azarenka is accustomed to overcoming daunting odds.

Men's Final: Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic 

As the one man who could upset Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet managed to be the first in the tournament to break Nadal's serve.

As close as the semifinal match came, Nadal moved onward to a finals showdown after dispatching of Gasquet 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2.

Playing the best tennis of his career, especially on the dreaded hard courts, Nadal has won nine titles this season and needed a stiff test in the semifinals round to prepare him for the world No. 1.

While Nadal needed a tough match to keep him on his toes, Novak Djokovic needed a wake-up call of epic proportions after simply gliding through the competition with ease to the semifinal round.

Stanislas Wawrinka gave Djokovic just that and more in the semifinal.

Djokovic hardly looked like himself against Wawrinka, needing 68 minutes just to win the second set 7-6. 46 unforced errors and a five-set classic later, Djokovic would emerge victorious thanks to his strong mental game as much as what he brought to the table physically.

Therein lays the tale of the tape. The world No. 1 needed a true test and got it. The problem now is Nadal has essentially cruised while Djokovic has played nine sets in his last two matches heading into a final that should favor Nadal as he has won five of the last six head-to-head encounters.

As both ESPN and the tournament's official account point out, this is a historic match for both parties:

Gasquet and Wawrinka served their purpose in the semifinal round. Both gave the final two men a shock, albeit one more than the other, and now both men enter the U.S. Open final at the top of their game.

Expect nothing less than a classic.

Follow B/R's Chris Roling on Twitter for more news and analysis @Chris_Roling