Stan Wawrinka, 2-0 in Slam finals, beats Kei Nishikori to play for U.S. Open title

NEW YORK—Stan Wawrinka is 2-0 in Grand Slam finals, and he’ll try to capture his third different major title on Sunday when he faces Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open. It’s the latest chapter in a rivalry that’s short on overall competitiveness (Djokovic leads their head-to-head 19 to 4) but high on in-the-moment drama. In 2013, Wawrinka gamely lost a five-hour, fourth-round match to Djokovic at the Australian Open, 12-10 in the fifth set. Since then, the stout Swiss has proven to be one of sport’s best big-match players, which Djokovic experienced first hand in last year’s French Open final.

Now back at a career-high No. 3 ranking, Wawrinka is still capable of throwing in a dud when you least expect it. But typically, the deeper he goes in a draw, the more dangerous he becomes. That’s something which should worry Djokovic—whose form, after six rounds of play, is still something of a mystery—and was the reason Kei Nishikori’s U.S. Open came to an end on Friday.

It was hard to shake the strangeness of the just-completed semifinal between Djokovic and Gael Monfils from the mind when Nishikori and Wawrinka began their match on a steamy late afternoon in Flushing Meadows. The choking humidity was a factor in that contest, and its influence would persist. But after seeing Nishikori deliver compact and and perfectly timed swings throughout the first set, the Japanese star’s quarterfinal upset of Andy Murray was all I could think about. Nishikori’s bullet shots sound as good as they look, and they were hit with enough frequency to take the first set from Wawrinka, 6-4.

Wawrinka steadied the ship in the second set, but when he fell behind 0-40 on serve at 3-3, the match already seemed to be hanging in the balance. But rather than consuming Wawrinka with dread and trepidation, the deficit brought out the best in the big hitter. The velocity and depth of Wawrinka’s shots were constant from any position on the court, even while Nishikori traded skillful, aggressive strokes. It was peak Nishikori against peak Wawrinka, one hour into the sweat-filled showdown.

Wawrinka’s peak was higher. He saved four break points in the game, then won it with a dazzling two-point sequence: After roping a forehand winner down the line, he topped the shot with a down-the-line backhand that curled inward to catch the corner.

Nishikori may have peaked at that moment. Two games later, he would earn another pair of break points, but Wawrinka would again erase them. He would rue those six costly misses, as Wawirnka broke serve to even the match at a set all, 90 hard minutes in.

“Look at the conditions,” Wawrinka told chair umpire Jake Garner after a time-violation warning was issued. “We die on the court.”

It was a third set to forget for Nishikori, who at one point asked a ball boy to wipe up Wawrinka’s sweat after a changeover. It wouldn’t be the last time Wawrinka would leave a mark on Nishikori’s side of the court.

Wawrinka took a 4-1 lead in the third before Nishikori recovered with a three-game run. Nishikori then and earned a break point at 4-4. If Wawrinka’s stand to save four break points in the second set was his game of the match, the heavy swings he unleashed to save this break chance was his point of the match. He served out the game and asked the crowd to rise as Nishikori, slowly but surely, began to fall.

The 2014 US. Open finalist had his chances all night, but at one point in the fourth set was just three of 14 on break-point opportunities. Nishikori’s persistence paid off with a break for 2-3, but he immediately relinquished the lead in his next service game. The competition and conditions were too much for Nishikori, whose U.S. Open should still be considered a success given his five-set dismissal of Murray.

For Wawrinka, whose 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 victory marks his first semifinal triumph in three tries at Flushing Meadows, success will be defined on Sunday. He came away from the 2013 Australian Open a winner, even in defeat, as he used the experience to fuel his run a year later in Melbourne, when he beat Djokovic and then Rafael Nadal for his first Slam. He’ll remain an underdog against Djokovic on Sunday; since the 2015 French Open, Wawirnka is 0-2 against the world No. 1. But the match-up is closer than their lopsided record would indicate.

Failure will always follow Wawrinka—“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better.” is tattooed on his left forearm. But trophies are permanent, too—a mark of success.