Novak Djokovic vs. Gael Monfils
Both of these guys should be more than ready. Through five rounds, Djokovic has played just nine full sets; Monfils hasn’t lost any sets at all so far. Each is also coming off two full days of rest; no wonder the Open’s schedulers put them on first Friday, even though this match includes the world’s No. 1 player. As well as Monfils has played, at the Open and over the course of 2016, does he have a chance? Djokovic has won all 12 of their ATP meetings, and last month in Toronto he took care of the Frenchman in routine fashion, 6-3, 6-2. But they have had their share of close ones, including a five-setter at the Open 11 years ago that, for many fans, served as an introduction to both of these future stars. This would seem to be the ideal time for Monfils to avenge that long-ago defeat, and finally get a win over his friend. He’s at the top of this game, and Djokovic’s rhythm must be a little out of whack. He began the tournament with possible injuries to his left wrist and right arm, and he hasn’t played anything close to his normal amount of Grand Slam tennis over the last 10 days. Or maybe that’s exactly the combination he needed all along. One thing Djokovic is very good at is making someone who is playing the tennis of his life ... stop playing the tennis of his life.
Winner: Djokovic
Stan Wawrinka vs. Kei Nishikori
Djokovic and Monfils played one semifinal in Toronto, and Wawrinka and Nishikori played the other. Nishikori won, 7-6 (6), 6-1, and went on the following week to win an Olympic bronze medal. Now he’s coming off one of the biggest results of his career, a five-set win over the man who beat him in Rio, Andy Murray. The last time Nishikori and Wawrinka played at the Open, in 2014, Nishikori won in five brutally long, close sets. Either of these big-hitting baseliners can obviously beat the other, and there hasn’t been much to choose between them, form-wise, so far: Wawrinka had to save a match point against 64th-ranked Daniel Evans in the third round, while Nishikori has dropped five sets in his five matches. Stan vs. Kei should be fun to watch, and it may hinge on who wins a couple of crucial points in a second- or third-set tiebreaker. I’m going to say that person will be Stan: He’s good at tiebreakers, and there’s something about saving a match point early in a tournament. It can make you feel bulletproof the rest of the way.
Winner: Wawrinka