As it happened: Stan Wawrinka beats Novak Djokovic in U.S. Open final
NEW YORK – Stan Wawrinka is the 2016 U.S. Open champion.
Wawrinka upset the top–seeded Djokovic 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 to win his first U.S. Open title and the third Grand Slam title of his career.
Wawrinka, the No. 3 seed, got off to a slow start, but he found a rhythm midway through the first set and forced a tiebreaker, saving two set points along the way. But Djokovic clinched the first set by taking the tiebreaker 7–1.
In two tight sets to follow, Wawrinka settled down and played great tennis, beating Djokovic 6-4 and 7-5 in the second and third sets, respectively. With Djokovic seemingly hobbled in the fourth set, Wawrinka took control and clinched the title.
Entering Sunday, the World No. 1 led their head-to-head 19-4, but Wawrinka has tested Djokovic on the Grand Slam stage in recent years. Since 2014, Wawrinka is 2-1 against Djokovic at majors, with his one loss coming in five sets at the 2015 Australian Open. In the previous round, Djokovic beat Gael Monfils in four sets while Wawrinka defeated No. 6-seed Kei Nishikori in the other semifinal. But while Djokovic won twice by retirement and once by walkover en route to the final, Wawrinka had a tougher go, saving a match point against Daniel Evans to come back to win in five sets in the third round and needing four sets in a late night match to dispatch of Juan Martin del Potro.
Look back at our live blog to follow the 2016 U.S. Open final as it happened.
