Stan Wawrinka defeats Novak Djokovic to win 2016 U.S. Open

Wawrinka's victory marks the third Grand Slam title of his career.

Stan Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic in four sets to win the 2016 U.S. Open, marking the third Grand Slam title of his career. 

Wawrinka, the No. 3 seed, beat top–ranked Djokovic 6–7, 6–4, 7-5, 6-3 in nearly four hours to win his first U.S. Open title. 

Djokovic, the defending champion, started the match strong, earning an early break against a sloppy Wawrinka. But Wawrinka settled down and forced a tiebreaker, though he ultimately lost the set. 

Though Djokovic dominated the tiebreaker, Wawrinka came back strong in the second set and grabbed hold of the match in the third set. By the fourth set, Djokovic seemed to be ailing physically; he took a medical timeout midway through the fourth set. 

Wawrinka, 31, is now just a Wimbledon title away from completing the career Grand Slam. He previously won the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open, where he upset Djokovic in the final. At the 2014 Australian Open, he beat Djokovic in the quarterfinals. 

Wawrinka is the first player since Novak Djokovic in 2011 to win the U.S. Open after saving a match point earlier in the tournament. He saved match point in his third–round match against Daniel Evans.