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Whether the fans were cheering because they loved the No. 1 seed, or simply for the match to end, is unclear. Moments earlier they'd been screaming for Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. Now, Djokovic, who led two sets to one, had a five-point lead in the fourth-set tiebreak. Anyone interested in going home was in the Serbian's corner.*
Djokovic had yet to play a fifth set in this tournament. Two points later, he kept that streak intact. Djokovic advanced to his ninth consecutive U.S. Open semi-final with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 win.**
“Thank you guys for showing once again why I love tennis,” Djokovic said to the late-night crowd. The troves of celebrities who had filled the luxury boxes for the earlier match between Venus and Serena Williams were long gone.
Djokovic took a commanding first set, 6-1. They traded the next two, heading to a third as Tuesday night turned into Wednesday morning. It wasn’t an incredibly long match - just two hours and 39 minutes on court - but it had started late because the day session matches went until about 7:30p.m. The stadium had to be cleared out before night session fans could enter. The Williams sisters finally started around 8:30p.m.; Djokovic and Lopez took the court at 10:30p.m.*
Djokovic will now play No. 9 Marin Cilic, the defending champion here. Since winning in 2011, Djokovic has twice been runner-up. Cilic is seeking to be the first repeat champion since Roger Federer won five straight titles from 2004-2008.**
“Of course it’s very good that I have two days off now, and of course semi-finals of U.S. Open is a great achievement,” Djokovic said. “I hope I can keep on going.”