Novak Djokovic vs Marin Cilic promises to be a cracker of a US Open semifinal, as one man looks to regain the title at Flushing Meadows, with the other desperate to hold onto the crown he won so impressively last season.
Djokovic started this US Open on an absolute tear, blowing away his opponents in the first three rounds. The next couple of rounds, though, haven't been as easy as that apple pie he makes so often, but the Serbian has still proved to be too good for his opponents.
On paper, Cilic should provide Djokovic a stronger test than Roberto Bautista Agut and Feliciano Lopez, who took a set each off the world number one, even if the defending US Open champion has never beaten the Serbian before.
"Because of the fact that he won his first Grand Slam title last year in New York, he hasn't lost a match, you know, 12, 13 matches in a row, so I'm sure that he feels confident," Djokovic said of Cilic. "He won a really close match [in the quarterfinals]. A couple of five-setters he had already in this tournament.
"But he has a big serve. I think around 30 aces he had [in the quarterfinal], so the serve gets him out of trouble. I know him very well. I have played with him many, many times. We are great friends. Great guy.
"I know what to do, and I'm hoping I can execute the game plan obviously and play my best."
Cilic has had to fight through a few matches in this US Open, none more so than in the quarters, when he came out on top against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a thrilling five-setter.
The serve alone will not get him past Djokovic, though, and the Croatian will need to bring his all-round game into play if he is to stop the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion from entering a fourth straight Grand Slam final.
"Definitely toughest match for me, toughest matchup, I would say," Cilic said of having to play Djokovic in the US Open semifinals. "I haven't beaten him ever in my career. I had close matches last few years, but I haven't found the right formula to be able to win a match.
"We will see. Trying to approach every match as a new one. Of course when you look at the statistic that he won that many matches against me, doesn't go in my favour, absolutely.
"But when you're coming to the match it's always going from zero, so it's a new match. It's different stage, and I'm feeling good here on the court."
Where to Watch Live
Get the Final Score and Report HERE
Djokovic vs Cilic is the first match of the evening/night session at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and is scheduled for a 5 pm local time (2.30 am IST, 10 pm BST) start. Ten Sports is the channel to watch the match live in India. The semifinal match can also be watched via live streaming online on Ten Sports Live.
US viewers can watch the the men's singles semifinal live on ESPN, while the live stream option is on Watch ESPN. Audience catching the action late in the night in the UK can watch it live on Sky Sports, while the online live streaming option is on Sky Go.
Viewers in Australia can watch Cilic vs Djokovic Live on Fox sports, while all the semifinal action can also be live streamed on Foxtel Play.
