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Novak Djokovic advances to US Open final

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

While Serena Williams was shocked in the semifinals of the US Open Thursday, there would be no such upset for the top-ranked player on the men’s side.

Novak Djokovic moved on to his third Grand Slam final of the year with an entertaining 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win against Gael Monfils.

Friday’s match inititally looked like an easy victory for the world No. 1, who handily took the first two sets without much of a challenge from Monfils. But things took a turn when Monfils found his groove and won five straight games to force a fourth set.

At times, both players sought treatment to deal with the effects of the oppressive heat and humidity. Monfils hunched over his racquet between nearly every point and called for a soda during one changeover.

After the two traded breaks in the fourth, Djokovic broke Monfils again to recover the edge he needed to advance to his third Slam final of the year.

There, he will face No. 3 Stan Wawrinka on Sunday in a rematch of the 2015 French Open final.

It’s been an interesting trip to New York for Djokovic. He had played just nine sets coming into Friday’s match because of injuries to his opponents and Djokovic himself has been dealing with a persistent shoulder issue.