ROGER FEDERER IS PACKING UP , KEI IS RESTING UP , CILIC IS CELEBRATING IT UP & DJOKOVIC IS WHEELS UP. SEMI-FINALS FROM THE 2014 U.S. OPEN

Written by: Staff on 6th September 2014

ROGER FEDERER IS PACKING UP , KEI IS RESTING UP , CILIC IS CELEBRATING IT UP & DJOKOVIC IS WHEELS UP. SEMI-FINALS FROM THE 2014 U.S. OPEN

epa04388684 Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts after being broken in the third set by Marin Cilic of Croatia during their semifinals round match on the thirteenth day of the 2014 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 06 September 2014. The US Open runs through 08 September, a 15-day schedule. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Editors Note : as Roger walked on court and had to do the barbaric pre match interview. He said to Mary Jo ” I’d rather be warming up ,than packing up ” hence our title.

Singles – Semifinal: (10) K Nishikori def. (1) N Djokovic 6-4 1-6 7-6(7-4) 6-3

Kei Nishikori of Japan hits a return to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their semifinals round match on the thirteenth day of the 2014 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 06 September 2014. The US Open runs through 08 September, a 15-day schedule. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

In the first set, Novak Djokovic looked very unsteady, as if he wasn’t quite well, and Kei Nishikori was on fire. An early break gave Nishikori the set. In the second set, something started to get to him. Maybe it was the high heat; maybe it was just the wear and tear from his two tough matches in the previous rounds. He seemed very stiff, and meanwhile Djokovic was getting his game together. In the third, Nishikori played better; both looked somewhat off, with Nishikori going up a break and then losing it as he served for the match. And yet, come the third set tiebreak, it was Djokovic who made mistake after mistake, just as in the first set. And the top seed played a very tired-looking game to start the fourth set, and was broken, and he this time he didn’t manage to revive himself. He confessed that “I just wasn’t myself.”

It is of course the first Slam final for Nishikori, who is rocketing up the rankings. #11 coming in, this will take him to a career high #8, and if he wins the title, he’s #5.

Novak Djokovic remains #1, and by a wide margin. He still has the inside track for the year-end #1. But this means he hasn’t locked it away. A lot would depend on the outcome of the second semifinal….

Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return to Kei Nishikori of Japan during their semifinals round match on the thirteenth day of the 2014 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 06 September 2014. The US Open runs through 08 September, a 15-day schedule. EPA/CJ GUNTHER

Singles – Semifinal: (14) M Cilic def. (2) R Federer 6-3 6-4 6-4

Kei Nishikori will go into the U. S. Open final tired, but he’ll have at least one advantage: He finished his semifinal on time. Shortly after he got off the court, it started raining. And when it finally started, Roger Federer was way off. He was broken early in each of the first two sets. He managed to go up 2-0 in the third, but lost the break soon after, and then was broken again.

Another year without a Slam for Federer. And what an Open! No Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer in the final. It has been nine years since that happened.

Federer improved on his result from last year, but he remains stuck at #3, more than 600 points behind Rafael Nadal. This should have been his big chance to make a run for the year-end #1. It’s still possible, but it will be very difficult; Novak Djokovic remains on top, and by a wide margin. Both Nadal and Federer still have chances, but Federer will need to play better than this and Nadal will have to find a way to play, period.

Marin Cilic, like Kei Nishikori, will be in his first Slam final, so obviously we are guaranteed a first time winner. Cilic will rise to #9 if he can win the title. Even if he loses, we show him rising to #12. And he still has slots to fill, for Shanghai and Paris and, possibly, London. Even if he doesn’t make the Top Ten this week, it appears likely he’ll end the year there.

RANKINGS

Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings

As of September 6, 2014

Rank &

Prior…Player………..Points

1..(1) Djokovic……….12290

2..(2) Nadal…………..8670

3..(3) Federer…………8030

4..(4) Wawrinka………..5625

5..(5) Ferrer………….4495

6..(7) Berdych…………4240

7..(6) Raonic………….4225

8.(11) Nishikori……….3870

9..(8) Dimitrov………..3710

10..(9) Murray………….3150

11.(10) Tsonga………….3100

12.(16) Cilic…………..3045

13.(12) Gulbis………….2615

14.(13) Del Potro……….2365

15.(19) Bautista Agut……1935

16.(15) Isner…………..1925

17.(17) Fognini…………1870

18.(24) Monfils…………1845

19.(20) Anderson………..1840

20.(21) Lopez…………..1770

21.(14) Gasquet…………1730

22.(18) Robredo…………1645

23.(22) Dolgopolov………1535

24.(25) Kohlschreiber……1505

25.(26) MayerL………….1399

26.(31) Simon…………..1360

27.(27) Rosol…………..1290

28.(29) Almagro…………1240

29.(28) Benneteau……….1205

30.(33) Garcia-Lopez…….1203

SCORES

SATURDAY

U. S. Open

Singles – Semifinal

(10) K Nishikori def. (1) N Djokovic 6-4 1-6 7-6(7-4) 6-3

(14) M Cilic def. (2) R Federer 6-3 6-4 6-4

Boys’ Doubles – Final

(6) Jasika/Nakagawa def. Matos/Menezes 6-3 7-6(8-6)

Topics: 2014 US Open, Atp World Tour, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Semi Finals, Tennis Results

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10sBalls_com says:

September 6, 2014 at 5:44 pm

@rogerfederer IS PACKING UP, @keinishikori IS RESTING UP, CILIC IS CELEBRATING IT UP & @DjokerNole IS… http://t.co/ieHJfXQ5Fv #tennis #ATP