Novak Djokovic vs. Marin Cilic: Score and Reaction from 2015 US Open

If Novak Djokovic was looking to make a statement to either Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka leading up to Sunday's final at the U.S. Open, he accomplished his mission in emphatic style with a straight-sets 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 win over defending champion Marin Cilic on Friday.   

On a day that featured a stunning upset, with Roberta Vinci ousting Serena Williams in the women's semifinals, Djokovic left no doubt that he is on point, needing one more victory to win his third major tournament of the season.

In fact, because of Williams' loss, author Joe Posnanski felt the need to remind everyone that things were back to normal after Djokovic's first set Friday:

According to ESPN Stats & Info, this was the most lopsided win in the U.S. Open semifinals during the Open era:

Taking things a step further, Djokovic's appearance in the U.S. Open final puts him in exclusive territory, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The strange thing about Djoker's win is that he didn't destroy Cilic on his serve, but he was on point with everything else and got help from mistakes by his opponent. 

Cilic had one more ace than Djokovic (4-3) but was undone by five double-faults and 37 unforced errors. His last one came on the final point, per U.S. Open Tennis:

A Djokovic win over Cilic isn't surprising. These two have played 14 matches against each other since 2008, with Djoker coming out on top each time. But to see it happen so swiftly and decisively was stunning.

Coming into the semifinals, Djokovic told reporters he felt his best path to victory was to control Cilic's serve:

"

The serve gets him out of trouble. I know him very well. I have played with him many, many times. We are great friends. Great guy. I'm sure he's gonna try to be aggressive, going to try to take his chances. That's how he won last year's U.S. Open. I watched him play. He played great. Best tennis of his life.

"

While Cilic's risk-taking can turn out well, as was the case last year, his erratic style led to Friday's blowout loss.

This match got out of hand from the start, leading fans in New York to wonder about Cilic's ability, per Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim:

It is worth noting that this isn't the same Cilic who won the U.S. Open last year. A shoulder injury limited him earlier this season, and he hadn't looked like his old self prior to this tournament. 

Speaking to Johnette Howard of ESPN.com, Cilic said he thought his game was progressing well from where he started this season:

"

I feel that things are close for me, somewhere around in the air. I feel that I'm really close to finding them again and playing some really good tennis. [Winning a major] changes, absolutely, your mind looking at the tournament. It's for sure a different approach. For me, it is a bit different understanding of going to these big tournaments than before I won a Grand Slam. Now I'm more focused on myself and know that I have the abilities to win.

"

Sometimes, though, there's a better player on the other side, and mistakes keep getting in your way. Cilic had to play perfect tennis against Djokovic, so as soon as he had eight unforced errors and only won 11 points in the first set, it was clear this was going to be a tough day. 

Looking ahead to the final, things figure to be more difficult for Djokovic. Only three players have defeated him this season, and two of them are playing in the other semifinal. 

Wawrinka's win over him at Roland Garros is the only thing standing between Djokovic and an opportunity for the calendar-year Grand Slam. Djokovic defeated Federer in the Wimbledon final but lost to the 34-year-old in the Western & Southern Open final coming into the U.S. Open. 

Djokovic is going to be favored against whomever he winds up playing, but the gap between him and his opponent won't be significant. He didn't have to exert much energy in Friday's win, so he should hope for a long battle between the two Swiss stars to help ensure a second U.S. Open title.