Stan Wawrinka will attempt to reach the final round of the 2016 US Open when he meets Kei Nishikori in the semifinal stage of the tournament at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Wawrinka booked his third US Open semifinal appearance after defeating Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday. Wawrinka hit 53 winners including 10 aces to book a last-four slot in the tournament and face Nishikori, who ranks No. 7 in the world.
Wawrinka leads Nishikori by 3-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head career singles matchup, but it was the latter who got the better of the Swiss in their most recent meeting at the ATP World Tour 1000 Masters in Canada this year. Wawrinka admitted he is intrigued by his next matchup against Nishikori, insisting that he will be ready to face the 26-year-old Japanese come match time.
"It's going to be interesting for sure," Wawrinka said, reports the ATP's official website.
"We have played many times against each other. He beat me a few years ago here [in the] quarter-finals [over] five sets. He beat me in Toronto and I beat him in Australia. I saw him play today. He was playing really well. We will see also how I'm going to feel physically in two days to get ready for that. I'm ready for a match against Kei."
Meanwhile, Nishikori pulled off a major upset over world No. 2 Andy Murray with a thrilling five-setter 1-6 6-4 4-6 6-1 7-5. Their intense match was delayed by the rain, with Murray up by a set and a break. But after the roof was closed on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Nishikori was able to turn the tables around and prevent Murray from reaching a fourth-consecutive Grand Slam final appearance this year.
"I had many up and downs, in the beginning I didn't start well," Nishikori said, reports ESPN. "It was tough but in the end it was great tennis, so very happy."
"The rain delay helped me a lot, to regroup the tactics. I had to change something to win the match. It definitely helped for my game today."
The winner between Wawrinka and Nishikori will advance into the final round and face either Novak Djokovic or Gael Monfils.
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