Final four men at U.S. Open meet for a familiar rematch

There is a reassuring familiarity about the final four men left at the U.S. Open.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia vs. Gael Monfils of France; and Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland vs. Kei Nishikori of Japan.

If you think you’ve seen this before, well, you have.

In July.

The same four players, featuring the same matchups, unfolded in Toronto at the Rogers Cup, the last stop on the tour before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Non-spoiler alert: Djokovic beat Monfils, Nishikori defeated Wawrinka and then Djokovic won the title against Nishikori.

Monfils beat Djokovic, on clay, in their first meeting at a futures event in Italy 12 years ago. That match, however, is not included in the official head-to-head results distributed by the Slams. After that, Djokovic has defeated Monfils 12 consecutive times, including the 6-3, 6-2 result, in Toronto.

The big question: Can someone manage to complete a full match against Djokovic in New York?

The top-seeded player has needed only two full matches to reach the semifinals – the first round and the fourth round. He received a walkover before his second-round match and two of his opponents withdrew during matches because of injuries.

The rivalry between Wawrinka and Nishikori is more balanced. Wawrinka has won three of their five meetings. They’ve split at the majors: Wawrinka won at the Australian Open in the quarterfinals in 2015 and Nishikori prevailed at the U.S. Open in the quarterfinals in 2014, on his way to the final.

Nishikori and Wawrinka were both pushed hard in their quarterfinals on Wednesday. Nishikori won the final two sets and beat No. 2 Andy Murray in five sets in just under four hours. Wawrinka needed four sets to take out Juan Martin del Potro, a match ending in the early morning hours on Thursday.

Wawrinka, who fought off a match point in the third round against Dan Evans, needed treatment from the trainer in the Del Potro match.

“It was my adductor,” Wawrinka said. “Was tightness, tension after a few points on my adductor and I just wanted to check. That was nothing else.”

Nishikori beat him, 7-6 (6), 6-1, in the semifinals in Toronto.

“It is going to be interesting for sure,” Wawrinka said. “We played many times against each other. He beat me a few years ago here in the quarterfinal in five sets….I beat him in Australia. It is going to be a tough match. We will see also how I’m going to feel physically in two days to get ready for that.”