US Open Tennis 2014: Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Day 13 in New York
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have played to type so far the 2014 U.S. Open and look destined for the final many tennis fans had been clamoring for in the weeks leading up to the tournament. Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic will look to upset the proverbial applecart.
Over the last five years, the U.S. Open hasn't been the underdog's Grand Slam. According to Tim Curry of the United States Tennis Association, Juan Martin Del Potro is the last men's singles player ranked lower than third to have made the final:
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Can either Cilic or Nishikori beat the odds?
| No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 10 Kei Nishikori | 12:30 p.m. | CBS | U.S. Open Live |
| No. 14 Marin Cilic vs. No. 2 Roger Federer | TBD | CBS | U.S. Open Live |
Predictions
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 10 Kei Nishikori
Upsetting the best player in the world can be difficult. That mountain doesn't become any easier to climb when you enter the match off back-to-back five-setters.
Nishikori's victories over Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka have come at a steep physical cost. And no matter if he's had a little bit of time to rest, all of that tennis is bound to catch up to him against a player the caliber of Djokovic.
Nishikori is taking the opposite viewpoint, however, per The Guardian's Kevin Mitchell:
"If he has health or injury issues, he is not showing them. After beating Wawrinka, he said his body was "not 100% but close to feeling pretty good."
He added: "It's great for my confidence to play two five-sets straight and a lot of 7-6. I was playing much better in third and fourth sets and I have more confidence to get into a fifth."
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The biggest knock on Nishikori throughout his career has been durability. As Bleacher Report's Lindsay Gibbs wrote, his road to the U.S. Open was dotted with a few health problems:
"He broke into the top 10 for the first time in his career in May, though he immediately fell right out of it after dealing with a back injury during clay season.
Believe it or not, Nishikori sat out most of the U.S. Open Series with a toe injury as well—I wasn't kidding about the frequent injuries—and came into the U.S. Open with doubts about his form and fitness. But with a newly aggressive style and sharper focus thanks to Chang, and self-confidence to spare due to his good results this season, he hasn't missed a beat.
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The first two sets will be critical for Nishikori in this match. He can't possibly go down 0-2 to start the match, forcing himself to reel off three sets in a row. At the very least, the 24-year-old needs to grab one of the two to start the match and begin to get Djokovic out of his comfort zone a bit.
Djokovic's best is clearly better than Nishikori's best, so the latter must get the former to slip up at some point.
Djokovic has been prone to shooting himself in the foot at times by getting too aggressive, and if he's facing an early deficit, that could be the case on Saturday.
Don't be surprised if this match plays out similarly to how Djokovic's quarterfinal win over Andy Murray unfolded. The first two sets will be hotly contested, and then the No. 1 player in the world pulls away in the third and fourth sets.
Djokovic is simply too talented and hasn't shown any problematic signs that would lead you to believe he'll have a hiccup in the semifinal.
Final Score: Djokovic wins, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
No. 14 Marin Cilic vs. No. 2 Roger Federer
Roger Federer and Marin Cilic have met five times. Federer's won every time and dropped a total of two sets. Why would Saturday be any different?
For starters, Cilic pushed Federer harder than he ever had before when they played at the Rogers Cup earlier in the month. The first two sets went to a tiebreaker before Federer won the third 6-4. If a couple of points go differently, Cilic is your winner.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged how difficult his victory came but feels that his net play will help him massively this time around, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"It's going to be a day match now against Cilic. I played him in Toronto in also equally fast conditions. That was a night match. I'm happy I'm spending some time at the net, because that's going to keep giving me confidence to keep on doing that as we move along in the tournament.
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Mitchell wrote that Federer's performance down the stretch against Gael Monfils also spells trouble for Cilic:
"On Saturday, seeded 14, he gets another chance – and nobody can say he has not earned it. This time the player trying to stop him reaching his first slam final is Federer, who, at 33, is playing tennis every bit as delightful as he was in 2010, perhaps better on occasion, and he will be favoured to do to Cilic what he did to Gaël Monfils in the match of the tournament on Thursday night.
He will probably prefer not to have to come from two sets down, save two match points in the fourth and go five sets to do it, but the Swiss sharpened his tools so impressively in the closing moments that there is very little enthusiasm for Cilic’s chances in the semi-finals.
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Federer's career renaissance has been discussed enough as is, so there's no need to delve into that in depth here. It's hard to believe that we ever doubted he could add an 18th major title to his resume.
The biggest problem for Cilic is that the great serve that helped him beat Tomas Berdych won't be as much of a weapon against Federer. The Swiss is an adept returner who can take the power on his opponent's serve and use it to his advantage.
As long as Federer remains patient at the baseline and doesn't try to win the point with every single ground stroke, he'll be in business on Saturday.
Final Score: Federer, 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4
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