US Open 2015: Breakdown, Analysis of Men's Semifinal Matches

Two matches Wednesday night filled out the U.S. Open men's semifinal bracket as Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer punched their tickets to the penultimate round. 

Now that the field is set, let's take a look at the semifinal matches.

Player	Player
Novak Djokovic (1)	Marin Cilic (9)
Stan Wawrinka (5)	Roger Federer (2)

Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Marin Cilic (9)

This is common territory for the world's No. 1 tennis player. Djokovic is making his ninth-consecutive trip to the U.S. Open semifinals, where he is 5-3. 

But he's only been able to win the tournament once, in 2011. This year, he'll be looking to further state his claim as the best tennis player in the world by taking home the U.S. Open title. 

There is not an easy test waiting for him as defending champion Marin Cilic disposed of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach his second-consecutive U.S. Open semifinal. 

In the past, though, Djokovic has owned Cilic, going 13-0, according to MatchStat.com. Nine of those wins came on a hard court surface. 

There's only one thing Cilic can do in order to prepare for this match in such a one-sided rivalry, and that's to start over.

He spoke with David Waldstein of the New York Times: "When you look at the statistic that he won that many matches against me, doesn’t go in my favor, absolutely," he said. "But when you’re coming to the match, it’s always going from zero. It’s a new match. It’s a different stage. And I’m feeling good on the court."

He has every right to feel good on the court after winning 12-straight matches at the U.S. Open. If he wants to beat Djokovic, it's vital that he makes the world No. 1 work on the return. Cilic has an underwhelming serve but has the athleticism to wear Djokovic down. Especially in the heat of New York that has seen temperatures reach around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. 

For Djokovic, he needs to keep things short, sweet and to the point. Don't let Cilic hang around with long volleys and unforced errors, because he has the experience to make him pay. 

Stan Wawrinka (5) vs. Roger Federer (2)

It's safe to assume that Switzerland is going to be very interested in this semifinal of the U.S. Open. Even one of the match's participants appreciates it, as U.S. Open Tennis shows:

Like Djokovic and Cilic's rivalry, Federer has dominated fellow countryman Wawrinka, going 16-3 in 19 matches. Federer has yet to lose to Wawrinka on the hard court, as all of his defeats came on clay, per MatchStat.com.

But Wawrinka does have the latest win, defeating Federer in the quarterfinals of the French Open. 

It looks like this is going to be a fast-paced match with plenty of aggressive play, as the quickest might prevail in this semifinal.

Wawrinka needs to get going in a hurry against Federer, as ESPN Stats & Info points out:

His serving game is also going to have to be on point if he has any chance of finding success against Federer's new SABR technique. 

SABR, which stands for Sneak Attack By Roger, is Federer's strategy of rushing toward the net on the return while forcing pressure on his opponent. But it appears that Wawrinka might be taking a page out of Federer's book, according to USA Today's Nick McCarvel:

If Wawrinka does indeed unleash his version of SABR in the match, then Federer will be absolutely right. Marathon points will be few and far between with an emphasis on shots worthy of the highlight reel. 

It will be a true test of reflexes, and the one who is just a millisecond faster could very well be making a trip to the U.S. Open finals. But it also will be extremely entertaining.