Novak Djokovic Rolls to US Open Final with Straight-Sets Win over Kei Nishikori

Novak Djokovic is on to the U.S. Open final for the eighth time in his illustrious career after a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Kei Nishikori at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday. 

As the tournament has gone on, Djokovic has seemingly gotten stronger. The No. 6 seed won 10 straight sets coming into Friday's match and continued his stellar play against Nishikori. His serve was on point right out of the gate, as he won 15 of his 17 first-serve chances in the opening set. 

Per the ATP World Tour, Djokovic tied a record held by Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras by reaching the U.S. Open final:

Showing no signs of fatigue at the end, Djokovic hit arguably his best shot on match point:

Djokovic will challenge Juan Martin del Potro in the final Sunday. Del Potro hit the showers early after a knee injury forced Rafael Nadal to retire from their semifinal matchup following the second set.

Djokovic has dominated head-to-head matchups with Nishikori. The pair split the first four meetings, but the Djoker has now won 14 straight (plus one walkover) dating back to the 2014 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Paris. 

The second set was a crucial turning point for Djokovic. Nishikori was building momentum and trying to take control with the set tied 2-2, but his serve was broken as Djokovic wrestled back things into his favor.

The Serbian star used his outstanding baseline play to put Nishikori away in the second set:

Things set up nicely for Djokovic to get back to the U.S. Open final when John Millman knocked out Roger Federer in the fourth round.

"Next to [Rafael] Nadal, my biggest rival I've had throughout my professional career [is Federer]," Djokovic told reporters on Tuesday. "The matches I've played against him have shaped me into the player that I am today. Those were the guys I had to beat in order to be the No. 1, to win slams."

Djokovic took care of business against Millman in the quarterfinals before dispatching Nishikori. He's back in the final after missing the tournament in 2017 because of an elbow injury. 

It's been a slow road back for Djokovic, who has just two tournament wins this season. He picked an opportune time to get his first victory of 2018 at Wimbledon and came out on top at the Western & Southern Open in August as a tune-up for the U.S. Open.

Djokovic has won 14 of 18 career matchups against del Potro, including three straight following the 2016 Olympics. One more win Sunday will give him two Grand Slams in a calendar year for the fourth time since 2011.