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Djokovic demolishes Cilic in first semifinal

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns a shot to Marin Cilic, of Croatia, during a semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns a shot to Marin Cilic, of Croatia, during a semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NEW YORK – Go back and look at the tape of the seventh game of the third set of the semifinal between Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic. That point will show you everything you need to see to understand the match.

Already holding a comfortable lead – 6-0, 6-1, 4-2 – Djokovic sprinted to the net. He managed three strides before the ball fell, barely sneaking his racket underneath. He wasn’t happy to just get it across the net - no, Djokovic managed to place it perfectly in the front corner, just along the line.

There was nothing Cilic could do. His attempt rattled into the sponsor signage hanging off the net.

About two minutes later, Djokovic held at 40-0 to close out the easiest semifinal in recent memory, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2. In just 85 minutes, the nine-time Grand Slam champion moved on to the U.S. Open final, where he has the chance to earn his first title here since 2011. Should he win, it would be the second time he’s one three major titles in a single year.

In three sets, Djokovic lost only three games. Cilic barely showed up to the match. It was baffling, until Djokovic came to the microphone for his on-court interview. Before speaking about the final, he spoke about Cilic.

“I need to say, Marin was carrying an injury of an ankle for the last few matches,” Djokovic said. “He was courageous enough to come out and finish today.”

Djokovic awaits the winner of the semifinal between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.

“Well, I will definitely get ready to play against a Swiss player,” he said, cracking the easy smile he’s worn throughout this fortnight.

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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook